by Anna Lowe
“Drax,” Silas growled.
Cassandra whirled back and forth, fighting panic. She was trapped between two rival dragon shifters. What the hell could she do now?
“Give it to me,” Drax snarled at Cassandra, his voice low and dangerous. He smelled of old cigars — or was that the scent of dragon smoke?
“The hell I will,” she cried. And damn it, her voice trembled.
Silas stepped beside her, glaring at Drax. She looked back down the alley, ready to run. But for some reason, her body refused to leave Silas’s side.
“Leave her alone, Drax,” Silas snarled.
“Oh, I will, as soon as she gives me the diamond,” Drax rumbled. “And if you do so quickly, miss, I might even release you alive. If you don’t…”
His words hung in the air, evoking images of Eloise’s lifeless body after the attack. The blood. The slash marks. The startled expression on her face.
But Cassandra had never been one to back down from a blustery man, and she wasn’t about to start now.
“I don’t have it any more,” she said in a So there, asshole tone.
“What have you done with it?” Drax roared, stepping closer.
“It’s someplace safe,” she retorted. At least, it would be soon. “Someplace you will never track down.” She shook her fist in the air. No bluff this time. The moment that mailbox was emptied, the Spirit Stone would be on its way to the other side of the world. How safe that really was, only time would tell. She might not live to find out for herself. But there was a certain high to knowing that she’d foiled Drax, at least for now.
“You don’t seem to understand one fundamental point, miss,” Drax said. “I take what I want. I get what I want. Now tell me what you have done with the Windstone.”
A subway car hurtled by somewhere deep underground, sending air rushing through a vent. Dust flew, and a crumpled sheet of newspaper rustled through the alley. Drax stepped forward, raising his arms. His eyes glowed an evil, flickering red.
“You will give it to me,” he said, stretching to his full height.
Cassandra gaped as Drax stretched ever higher, until he wasn’t just a formidable six feet but closer to eight…nine…ten…
She leaned back in horror as the clothes ripped from Drax’s body, revealing a set of interlocked gray scales. When his arms rose farther, his jacket swept back like a cape.
“Jesus,” she muttered. That wasn’t Drax’s dinner jacket. His arms were turning into wings. Broad, leathery wings and talons that ended in long, pointy claws.
“I will never give it to you,” she yelled, shaking inside.
“Then you shall die,” Drax hissed.
His lips peeled back, and his mouth stretched forward into a long muzzle. She screamed as the mighty dragon inhaled and opened his mouth. A long, licking flame rushed toward her. Sparks flew from the leading edge, igniting the trash.
“You will give it to me,” Drax roared.
Cassandra stared in horror as the fire approached in a terrifyingly slow-motion way, illuminating the alley in a surreal reddish-orange glow. She stumbled backward and landed flat on her ass.
“No!” she screamed, throwing an arm over her face.
The motion wouldn’t stop her from burning alive, but at least she wouldn’t have to watch the flames rush at her like that. She could hear the greedy crackle, sense the change in air pressure as the fire sliced through the alley. She cringed, waiting for a blistering, burning sensation.
Then a second roar split the air. A furious, alpha roar accompanied by the crackling sound of fire. She stared, then ducked again. It was Silas, fighting fire with fire.
The flames raged closer, yet all she felt was heat. No agonizing pain, no blistering skin. She opened one eye and saw a strange orange glow.
“What the…” she murmured, peeking out between her fingers.
The inferno was still raging, but she was crouched behind a protective wall.
Not a wall, her overwhelmed mind realized. A wing. Silas was sheltering her with his wing.
Her breath caught. Whoa. Silas was protecting her?
Flames crackled and roared all around, and all she could do was duck as a dragon fight raged around her. Spits of fire erupted, one after another, each accompanied by piercing bellows.
Then came a deafening roar of pain that made her want to cry. Silas was hurt — all in the name of protecting her.
She slapped her hands over her ears, wishing she could tell Silas to stop. To tell him he barely knew her, and she wasn’t worth it. That she wasn’t sure she’d have the courage — or conviction — to do the same for him.
Yet Silas refused to fold back his wing or take flight. He stood his ground, protecting her. A tear slipped down Cassandra’s cheek. Silas was risking his life for her.
Then, in the brief silence between fiery volleys, a woman’s voice rang out.
“Idiots. What are you doing? Stop! Stop!”
There was power in that voice. Confidence. Cassandra popped up her head and peered back down the alley.
“Tessa?” she croaked, though no sound came out.
“Silas. Drax,” Tessa called urgently. “Not here, you idiots. Not now. We’re in the middle of the city, for goodness’ sake.”
Cassandra ducked as Drax belched more flame then backed away.
“Maybe not now,” Drax roared. “Maybe not here. But soon. I will find the Spirit Stone, and I will kill you all.”
Cassandra looked up, shocked to see him morphing back to human form. Only a silhouette at the end of the alley, but just as pompous and angry.
Moira appeared behind Drax, throwing a coat over his shoulders, and Cassandra nearly scoffed out loud. Did that woman always watch from a safe distance while the men around her warred? Or had Moira been lurking, looking for the right moment to pounce? Drax might have the firepower, but Moira was scarier in a way. Like a cobra that bided its time, waiting for exactly the right moment to spit her venom.
Their footsteps echoed down the alley as they disappeared from sight.
“Silas,” Tessa cried, running up from behind.
Cassandra scrambled to her shaky feet. Silas hunched before her, favoring his left side. He was back in human form, spitting words through clenched teeth.
“Fucking Drax.”
The curse was a little clunky, as if he were too refined to utter a word like that. But it was full of hate and pain, so Cassandra stepped closer.
“Oh!” Her hand flew to her mouth.
Silas was naked. Totally naked.
A man ran up, unbuttoning his jacket as he came. The minute he threw it over Silas’s shoulders, Silas groaned.
“Help him up, Kai. We have to get out of here.” Tessa bustled them along. “Quickly.”
Cassandra started following then hung back. Wait a second. Her whole goal had been to avoid dragons, right?
“You’re safer with us than without,” Kai said, seeing her hesitate. “So choose, and choose quickly. Come with us and live, or strike out on your own and die. Because Drax will be back. I guarantee you, Drax will be back.”
“Hurry,” Tessa said, waving her along.
Cassandra’s eyes locked on Silas’s. He hadn’t spoken a word, but his expression said the same thing. Come with me. Come with me and live. Please.
“Choose,” Kai thundered, taking two bristling steps toward the main street.
Tessa led the way out of the alley, and Kai guarded the rear. Silas only followed after a sharp glare in Drax’s direction, as if he were more inclined to stay behind and fight all over again.
To fight for her all over again? Cassandra gulped. Silas sure as hell hadn’t been protecting the diamond.
She looked left and right, weighing her choices. She could cower against the alley wall and watch them go or…
She reached for Silas’s unhurt arm and helped him along. “Come on. Let’s get out of here.”
The glance Silas shot at her was full of wonder, and a moment later, he nodded t
hrough a grimace of pain.
“Yes,” he murmured. “Let’s get out of here.”
Chapter Four
Silas dug his fingers into the armrest of his seat while the private jet executed a shaky takeoff. He was going to kill Drax. Slowly.
We should have killed him in the alley, his inner dragon grumbled, watching the Manhattan skyline as the aircraft rose. Better yet, we could have fought him in the air like in the olden days.
Silas made a face. The olden days were a bygone era, many centuries before his lifetime, when dragons still roamed openly. Nowadays, all shifters were bound to secrecy. Which meant no aerial duels, at least not where humans might see.
One way or another, we’ll get revenge, his dragon insisted.
That he would. But right now, it was time to regroup and calculate his next steps. Luckily, the jet had been ready for a quick exit, so all their things were on board, along with a few things he’d taken from his uncle’s penthouse. Silas had been able to change from Kai’s overcoat into his own clothes too, but damn it all. He’d been hoping to head back to Maui with the diamond.
We have Cassandra, his dragon purred in spite of the pain in his arm. That’s the important thing.
He took a deep breath. Damn dragon, running away with all kinds of impossible ideas.
She’s not hurt, is she? his dragon asked in a softer voice.
Silas sighed. The creature had a mind of its own, and it was a constant struggle to keep that side of his soul leashed — and to keep it from hollering in his head all day.
When it came to the woman, his inner dragon hadn’t let up since he’d laid eyes on her in the auction room. Even now, the beast was trying to get him to crane his neck and check on her. She was sitting in the row behind him, so near yet so far.
Near. Want her nearer, his dragon complained.
Silas cradled his injured arm and frowned. Back in the alley, he’d acted on instinct instead of being rational. His dragon side had just ripped out of him, taking foolish risks to protect a woman he barely knew.
He grimaced through the throbbing pain in his left arm — the side that had taken the brunt of Drax’s fire blast. Dragon hide provided some degree of protection against fire, but no one was fully immune.
“You okay?” Kai asked from the seat next to his.
Silas hid a wince by putting his chin on his hand and watching the view. Pretending to, at least. The pain came in bursts like storm waves on the shores of Koa Point, telling him how severe the injury was. Sooner or later, he’d have to shift to dragon form and treat the burn. But for now, he’d remain in his human body and hide the worst.
He forced himself to concentrate on the scene below. The grid of streets. The dark lines of rivers hemming in Manhattan from all sides. The lights of ships in the harbor. Or were those spots dancing in front of his eyes?
He blinked, trying to focus. Somewhere down there, Drax was plotting his next move. What would it be?
Silas closed his eyes. What would his own next move be?
Home. Take the woman home, his dragon promptly replied. Win her over. Make her our mate.
Which just went to show how limited a dragon’s thinking could be. This was about much more than a woman or a single gem. This was about the future of dragons and the shifters of Koa Point.
Kai leaned back and muttered under his breath. “Fucking Drax.”
Silas squeezed his lips together. Drax was the root of so much evil in the world. Moira too. He hadn’t seen his ex-fiancée in years, but she’d had the gall to call recently, asking how he was — and oh, did he happen to know anything about a missing Spirit Stone?
She’d asked sweetly, innocently, but he’d seen through that.
Moira didn’t have an innocent bone in her body. She’d been after the Waterstone — the Spirit Stone Cruz and Jody had put their lives on the line for. The sapphire was secure at Koa Point, but now, the Windstone was on the line.
“I half expected Drax and Moira to show up at the auction,” Kai grumbled. “But to shift right in the middle of the city like that…”
Silas was glad to have brought Kai and Tessa on this trip. It never hurt to have two dragons guarding your back, especially when tangling with the likes of Drax.
His supporters are mercenaries. Ours are family, his dragon said.
Silas made a face. Technically, Drax was family, too — a third cousin, to be precise. But the shifters of Koa Point felt like true family. The five men had grown as close as brothers in their Special Forces days, and the women who’d joined them over time had each proven her determination and grit. He’d fight to the death for any of them, and they would do the same for him.
Which was the problem. He didn’t mind laying down his life for his family, but he’d be damned if one of them died for him. Now more than ever, he needed to keep his head screwed on straight.
“Maybe Drax shifting in the city is a good thing,” Kai mused. “It shows he’s more desperate than we imagined. We have four spirit stones. He has none.”
Silas shook his head. That didn’t ease his worries one bit. Drax had been seconds away from outbidding him at the auction. If Cassandra hadn’t come along and halted the sale…
For the hundredth time that night, his mind spun over the hows and whys of her involvement. Why had fate brought an innocent woman into a dragon fight?
It’s destiny. She’s our destined mate, his dragon said, lashing its tail from side to side.
Silas was about to shake his head when another burst of pain shot through his arm.
The gem, he ordered himself. Focus on figuring out how to get the gem before Drax does.
What do we care about one gem? his dragon protested.
At that moment, it was hard to care. The world kept fading in and out of focus, no matter how sharply he ordered himself not to feel the pain.
“So now what?” Kai asked.
Silas didn’t answer right away. Defeating Drax would be a game of chess, not a round of speed poker, and every decision could affect a dozen other moves down the line. And, damn. He could barely see straight, let alone think straight.
“We go home. Regroup. Think this through,” he mumbled as another wave of pain raked his nerves.
“And what about her?” Kai whispered, gesturing back toward their guest. “She must be hiding the gem somewhere.”
Silas held the elbow of his injured arm tightly. That was the crux of the problem. They’d come to New York for the Windstone but failed to secure it. The only good news was that Drax didn’t have it either.
The real good news is she’s not hurt, his dragon slipped in.
That was a near-miracle, considering she’d nearly been roasted alive. But that didn’t mean Cassandra was safe, or even comfortable. He’d seen her wrap her arms around herself at the jetport, trying to be brave. She was the only one with no luggage, the only one who wasn’t heading home. She hid it admirably, but he’d caught a glimpse of fear in those beautiful brown eyes.
You can trust me, he wanted to beg.
One row back, Tessa was chatting with Cassandra, and Silas distracted himself by listening in.
“Are you hungry?” Tessa asked.
Good old Tessa, the chef. She could work her way into anyone’s heart through food.
“Not hungry, thanks,” Cassandra said in a flat tone.
“You sure? I bet I could whip something up.”
“Thanks, I’m fine.”
Silas would bet Cassandra was about as fine as he was, not that she’d admit it.
“What line of work are you in?” Tessa asked.
Cassandra hesitated, and he wondered if she was formulating a lie. “I’m a bartender.”
He wished she would keep talking. There was something soft and mesmerizing in her voice — a sonorous alto he could listen to all day.
“Nice plane, huh?” Tessa said next.
It was, and thank goodness for that. They’d flown to New York on a commercial airline, but doing that now would h
ave been hell on his injured arm.
“Is it your jet?” Cassandra asked.
Tessa laughed out loud. “I wish it were ours. Kai has friends in high places. No pun intended.”
Kai grinned and thumped his armrest. “G550. Great ride. A pilot buddy of mine owed me a favor, so I called it in.”
Tessa stretched out her legs and sighed. “I have to say, it’s going to suck to ride economy after this.”
Silas shifted slightly, trying to find a more comfortable position. Tessa was right. They had all agreed not to throw money away when an airline served just as well but, shoot. He might have to rethink that the next time around.
Next time? his dragon protested. Next time we fly on our own wings.
A bing sounded, and the seatbelt light went out as the pilot announced cruising altitude and the flight plan.
“Maui?”
Cassandra’s yelp made Silas turn and look back. She wasn’t just surprised about their destination. She was alarmed. Why?
“Anything wrong?” Tessa asked.
“No,” Cassandra squeaked. “I’ve just never been that far before. Ten hours, huh?”
She was fibbing, and he knew it. The question was, why?
“Yep, including a refueling stop,” Tessa said.
Silas gritted his teeth. It was going to be a long flight, but he couldn’t let himself drift off — not yet.
He motioned to Kai, and they both swiveled their seats to face the women. Another advantage of a private jet, he supposed. He did his best to ignore the pain in his arm and templed his fingers exactly the way his great-uncle used to do — a signal of we’re getting down to business now, and I am the boss.
“Miss…” he started, then waited for her last name.
She waited too, obviously not one to give in to any demands. Finally, she replied. “Nichols. Cassandra Nichols.”
She said it with a daring, Bond. James Bond intonation, and he had to admire her pluck.
“Miss Nichols,” he said. “What exactly did you do with the diamond?”
She grinned and flicked her palms up. “What diamond?”
Tessa hid a smile. I like her already.
I like her too, his dragon murmured, nodding vigorously.