by Vella Day
Even though Kaleena lived in Edendale, more people seemed to be around than usual. Dragons might need less sleep than humans and other shifters, but from the noise pouring out of the nightclub bars, she questioned if these dragons slept at all.
Once her sister parked at the SinCas facility, they took the elevator to the top floor of the mostly empty building. What sounded like loud drilling vibrated inside the elevator.
Finn grabbed Kaleena by the waist and pulled her close. “What is that?”
She smiled at his protectiveness. “It’s just the lab techs at it again. They’re experimenting with new ways to separate the rocks. They only do the loud stuff after hours. If you really want to experience demolition techniques, I can take you to our processing facilities near the mine, but you’ll be advised to wear ear protection.”
Finn’s grip lightened. “I’ll pass for now.”
“Smart.”
The elevator reached the top floor, and Tory led them to the end of the hall to one of the large conference rooms. Inside, Nessa was pacing along the back wall, glaring at Christian who was cuffed and seated at the end of the table across from her father.
“What’s he doing here?” Kaleena whispered to Tory. Kaleena thought this would be a brainstorming time to discuss what to do with him.
“He wants to help you. Give him a chance.”
Her sister had gone soft. “Help? You told me he admitted to drugging me. Help like that I don’t need.”
“Kaleena, come sit down,” her father said, acting as if Christian was the victim.
She and Finn took the seats to the right of her dad, while Tory settled in on the left. Nessa remained standing or rather pacing, looking like a caged animal. Knowing her, she was probably upset that she’d caught Christian prowling around outside.
Kaleena didn’t even want to look at the guy, but she did so out of curiosity. Guilt was written all over his face. “Why did you drug me?” she blurted before giving anyone a chance to talk.
“It’s like I told her.” Christian nodded toward Nessa. “I work for the Royals as one of their lawyers and when—”
“So Rathan put you up to this?” she nearly shouted. Why would Christian admit that? His confession alone was enough to imprison him for life. Nessa moved closer to Christian as if she expected him to bolt, but there was something about the way he held his head high that made Kaleena want to hear him out. “Go on.”
“I swear to every goddess in the light realm that I had no idea our government would kidnap you.”
“What rock have you been living under? I don’t buy that you’re that naïve. You’re a fucking lawyer.” Kaleena’s sympathy suddenly shattered.
“I’ve only worked there for six months. All I do is draft legal documents to people who are in arrears of their taxes. Nothing more. The first time I even stepped foot in the castle was the day I was summoned and told to drug you.”
“By Rathan?”
“Yes.”
His sincerity was believable, but she wouldn’t be tricked a second time. “Why did you agree to the kidnapping?”
He looked her right in the eye. “I agreed to drug you because they threatened to kill my sister, Clarisa, if I didn’t.”
A woman by the name of Clarisa worked in the accounting department at SinCas. Only now did Kaleena realize she’d never asked him for one piece of vital information. “What is your last name?”
“Milan.” He cocked his head as if he was waiting for her to connect the dots.
Well damn. If someone ever threatened Tory, she’d do whatever it took to keep her from being harmed. “Clarisa works here. Didn’t you think of that before you carried out their orders?”
“At the time, I had no idea you were a Sinclair.”
Kaleena tried to keep a low profile so he might be telling the truth. “Did you ask Rathan why he wanted me drugged?”
“Prince Rathan said you had stolen money from him. Had I known who you were I would have questioned him further. He showed me your picture then told me to slip this drug into your drink. I didn’t know it would incapacitate you so quickly. I swear.”
Kaleena visited The Wing’s Bar on a regular basis, so finding her wouldn’t have been hard.
Nessa crossed her arms, a disgusted look on her face.
“Do you believe him?” Kaleena telepathed Finn.
“I don’t know what to think. I can’t get past the fact that he hurt you.”
Nessa moved close and loomed over Christian. “Tell me, why were you really skulking around outside of the SinCas building today?” she asked.
“I wanted to speak with Kaleena. Before I did, you found me and dragged me in here.”
“Did you ask for her inside?” Nessa demanded.
“Yes. I went into the jewelry store and pretended to be looking for an engagement ring. I chatted with a woman who told me Kaleena wasn’t in the office—that it was her day off. I didn’t believe her and feared Rathan might have done more than just talk to her about taxes.” He turned to Kaleena. “I know I was the one who set you up, but I can’t live with myself knowing what I’ve done.” He lifted his bound hands and then lowered them, probably forgetting he was now the captive. “I’m just relieved you are free.”
“So am I, but just so you know the kind of man you’ve been working for, Rathan kept me drugged and held me prisoner in a stinking, filthy cell for days. Had it not been for Finn here and my family, I might still be there.” She hadn’t meant for her words to come out so bitter, but the memory slammed into her hard.
Finn placed a comforting hand on her arm, reminding her she was safe now.
“I’m so sorry,” Christian said. “I want to make it up to you. You have to believe me.” He glanced between Nessa and her. “If you want, I can go back and leak false information to Prince Rathan if that’s what it will take to keep you safe.”
The idea intrigued her. The word safe bounced in her head, giving her hope. “We’ll keep your offer in mind, but let me ask you this—didn’t you think we’d prosecute you?” Kaleena asked.
“I don’t care what happens to me. I just want my sister protected. I figured if they tried to get me to do their dirty work once, what’s to prevent them from trying again? I told Prince Rathan I wanted to quit, but he said I couldn’t because I knew too much. My only options were to keep working for him, imprisonment, or death. Jail seemed like the best place to me.”
That did suck. Much of what Christian said could be checked out. Kaleena needed time to think about her options. “Nessa, why don’t you take him someplace safe?”
Like to their underground holding cell. Thieves were caught periodically trying to sabotage the mines or attempting to rob their jewelry store. They needed someplace to keep them while they decided how to prosecute.
“My pleasure.” Nessa grabbed Christian by the arm and dragged him out of his chair. He was cuffed, so she doubted he’d try to escape. To his credit, he didn’t resist.
“What will happen to my sister?” Christian called out as Nessa hauled him to the door. “If Prince Rathan finds out I told you, he might kill Clarisa.”
Kaleena glanced at her dad. He nodded. “We’ll provide her with protection.”
Christian’s body sagged. “Thank you.”
Once they left, she faced her father and Tory. “What do you both think?”
Her father stroked his chin. “He could be telling the truth.”
“He’s still guilty of drugging me. You can’t forget that.”
“That’s in the past. We need to worry about the future. What if we can use him to set a trap for Rathan?” her father said.
Her mind spun trying to come up with a scenario that would work. “What are you thinking?”
He looked over at Finn then back at her. “From the way you keep looking over at your young man, together with the slight red mark on his neck, I assume the two of you have mated?”
Heat raced up her face. She was over one hundred years old and shouldn’
t be embarrassed to admit she’d had wild, passionate sex with Finn, but this was her father. He’d know if she lied however. “Yes. We have mated.”
He smiled. “That is wonderful news. Since you just arrived back here from Earth, I’m guessing Finn has not yet taken his maiden voyage as a dragon?”
“No,” she said before glancing over at her mate who was focused on her dad.
“Are you aware that new dragon shifters are highly powerful?”
She’d heard that was true, but since none of her dragon friends had mated recently to a non-dragon shifter, she had no data to back that up. Her father most likely did. “I’ve heard that, but while Finn might have the strength and endurance to fight, I dare say he is untrained,” she said.
Finn sat up straighter. “I am a quick study if someone is able to teach me what I need to know.”
She rubbed his arm. He was her white knight. “Thank you. Thane can train you. He makes us do drills and take classes on fighting all the time, but the Royals are highly skilled too. While we have more magic on our side, their abilities are considerable.”
“What if we fight Rathan together?” Finn sounded excited. “Can the two of us take him down?”
Everyone glanced around. “You would have surprise on your side,” her father said. “Have you tried to shift into your wolf form yet?” he asked her.
“No.”
Her father leaned back in his seat. “I’m sure Finn can help you avoid a dragon attack by darting into the woods. It might give you time to regroup.”
Finn squeezed her hand. “I’ll do whatever I can to help. I can see the advantage of being able to shift from one form to another. If we’re near a forest, hiding as a wolf is easy. We’ll blend into the background very well. The possibilities are wide open if we can emerge from the dense foliage and shift into our dragon form then take to the air.”
She smiled at his level of excitement. Kaleena could almost picture it in her mind. Rathan would come in cloaked, but she’d be able to sense his presence when he drew near. If she and Finn shifted into their wolf form, and cloaked themselves, they could hide. Staying invisible when their signature was small would take less energy than when in their dragon form. Once Rathan showed himself, they would have a moment to form a plan.
Relief poured through her. “I like it. I think it can work. I hate the fact that Rathan assumes he can do what he likes without consequences.”
Tory leaned forward on her elbows. “What makes you think Rathan will show up? He sent his minion the last time,” her sister said.
That was a problem. “Maybe that’s where Christian can come in. We just need to figure out what he should tell Rathan to make him take on the challenge personally.”
Her father smiled. “I like the way you think, Kaleena, but you need to be prepared in case he arrives with an army of men.”
Well shit. “We’ll take our chances. The biggest problem, as I see it, is not being found out before Finn is ready to fight. While it was safe to remain underground at the mine, Finn couldn’t train there since he needed to be outside. Rathan’s man found me at the country house, so that location is out of the question.”
“I agree. You’ll need a safe place to hide and not be spotted while flying,” her father said, as if reading her mind.
“Have any idea where we can go?” Kaleena asked.
“Yes, but you’ll need to leave Avonbelle.”
The realm was vast. Rathan and his men wouldn’t be able to canvas everywhere. “Do you have a place in mind?” Her father had extensive contacts.
“I’ll give Gregor Kearn a call. He lives in Drifsdown in Grindale province. You’ll be safe with him and his Guardians.
That was the next province over, but it was still far away. While each of the four provinces of Tarradon had their own set of Royals, she’d never heard of them interacting or working together.
Kaleena looked over at Finn, worried about the long trip there if they flew. “I like the idea of being safe, but I’m not sure I can train Finn myself. Can you spare Thane for a few days?”
“Have Declan set it up. He runs the show.”
Declan might be technically in charge of things, but their father still controlled the roost. Everyone listened to him and to Uncle Laird. Her brother, Thane, was a master strategist and fighting was his specialty. She hoped he would be free to help.
Finn yawned, and only then did Kaleena realize it was past two in the morning.
She pushed back her chair. “I think we’re going to hit the hay. Let me know if Gregor Kearn can help out.”
Her father reached over and squeezed her hand. “Will do. Sleep tight and we’ll be in touch tomorrow.”
Chapter Nineteen
When Finn had been almost torn apart by the guard Rathan had sent to take out Kaleena, Declan claimed that Finn’s physiology was different from the shifters in their realm. Because her dad claimed Finn would be a strong and powerful dragon, he couldn’t wait to test it out.
“Tell me again why we have to drive,” he said, failing to tamp down his frustration. He finally had the chance to sprout his wings, so to speak, and now he was stuck in a car for ten hours.
“I couldn’t chance that something might happen on the way to Grindale.”
“Were you afraid that if I flew alongside you that I might fall out of the sky or something?”
She looked over at him. “No, silly. We could have been spotted. Learning to hold a cloak takes time and training. If any of Rathan’s men had seen us, we would have been attacked, and both of us might have been killed.”
He reached out and rubbed her leg, trying not to let that one touch excite him too much. “I never want to put you in danger. I’m sorry.”
Keeping her eyes on the road, she reached out and squeezed his hand still on her leg. “Don’t be. I’m sure I won’t be the best or smartest wolf the first time either. Look, it’s a long way to fly, and you’re not used to maneuvering in and around the air currents.”
That was a nice way of saying he wasn’t ready. Finn had let his excitement get the best of him. He pressed on her leg once more and then removed his hand, not needing her to be distracted either. “Do you think Rathan has scouts out looking for you now?”
“I have no doubt of that. Failure is not an option for him. When we last spoke, I could see the greed in his eyes. He’ll stop at nothing until I’m captured again or dead.”
Finn’s gut clenched and his protectiveness flared. “I thought you said that when a Guardian is cloaked, others can’t detect him.” Whether he would inherit any of her magic was yet to be seen.
“That’s true, but it takes energy to stay invisible. And who’s to say I’ll be in my dragon form when he finds us?” She sighed. “How about we not talk about Rathan for now and enjoy the trip? Just so you know, I don’t like being confined anymore than you do.”
Damn. He’d been a jerk. Kaleena had mentioned that driving was not her choice of travel. “Again, I’m sorry. I’m a bit uptight about this whole dragon shifting thing.”
She flashed him a reassuring smile. “You’ll do great.”
Easy for her to say. “What if I can’t get off the ground?”
She grinned. “You getting up won’t be a problem.”
Did she have to bring up sex? “Getting it up isn’t, but flying might be.”
She glanced over at him. “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure you succeed.”
“I appreciate that.” He leaned close to her. “You know what my issue is right now?”
Her hands stiffened on the wheel. “What?”
“Sitting next to you, while my wolf—or is it my dragon—wants you so badly.” That damn leg rub did him in.
Kaleena grinned. “That so? You should be me. My dragon is going crazy too. I’m surprised she’s lasted this long without demanding some kind of release.”
He had an idea. “Have we crossed into that other province yet?”
“Yes, why?”
“Because I�
��d love to find a cozy spot for us to stop and have a little backseat fun without worrying about Rathan’s men spotting us.”
She laughed. “Oh, Finn McKinnon, you are so good for my soul. I wanted to suggest the same thing, but I worried your mind wouldn’t be on making love.”
“Are you kidding me? I can barely contain myself.” He slowly eased her right hand off the wheel and placed it on his crotch.
“Oh, my. Any dragon shifter would be pleased to call that his own.”
He laughed, but quickly sobered when Kaleena made a sharp right turn down a dirt road. She slowed only because four sheep crossed their path. “I wonder where their owner is?” she asked.
“You can always fly overhead and check out the area.”
“I could, but see that copse of trees?” She nodded to a spot less than thirty feet off the road.
The large trunk would block anyone’s view. “I do. It has many possibilities.”
“That’s what I was thinking.” Kaleena drove onto the grassy area and stopped the car. “Race you.”
Feeling as if he were a randy teenager again, he jumped out and sprinted to the shaded area, but Kaleena beat him. “Damn, you’re fast,” he said.
A little out of breath, she planted her palms on his chest. Without a word, she kissed him, and his wolf lost his inhibitions. Waves of lust slammed into him hard, and it was all he could do not to tear off her clothes and impale her.
Her fingers made fast work of his jeans. She tugged them down halfway before they bunched around his knees, but that didn’t stop her from dropping to the ground, grabbing his cock, and then drawing it deep into her mouth.
Finn reached behind him and nearly clawed the tree bark. They might have had sex only this morning, but it felt as if it had been ages. The moment they’d mated, his need for her had grown.
“Easy, there,” he panted.
Kaleena totally ignored him, cupping his balls and then tightening her hold. Each lick sent him closer to his climax. When she took him to the back of her throat and swallowed, Finn’s eyes rolled upward, and it was all he could do to grip her hair and gently pull her back. Embarrassed that he had just about gone off like it was his first time, he leaned over and lifted her chin. “My turn.”