Smoldering Hunger

by Donna Grant

  She kept to herself. There was only one friend he could threaten, but he suspected that move would only alienate her altogether. No, he couldn’t threaten the short blonde.

  If Ulrik was going to get to Darius through Sophie, then he would have to change tactics. He’d try once more to pull Sophie onto his side. If that didn’t work, then he had something that was sure to do the trick.

  Most humans were easy to decipher, but Sophie was different. She didn’t date, didn’t hang with friends, or have any kind of social life. All that mattered to her was healing people.

  Ulrik sliced off another piece of apple and ate it. Even though his men hadn’t seen Darius at Sophie’s flat, that meant nothing. The Kings were nothing if not predictable. Now that Ulrik had shown up at the hospital, Darius would keep an eye on Sophie.

  How long would it be before Darius had to tell Sophie about the Dragon Kings, the Fae, and even about Ulrik?

  If Sophie was nothing more than a single shag, Ulrik might be doing all of this for nothing. But he had a feeling that wasn’t the case. Darius was too predictable. So was Con.

  Darius would tell Con about their chat, and Con would demand that Darius remain around to see what Sophie learned and what move Ulrik made next. Which meant Darius wouldn’t be able to keep his hands off Sophie.

  Ulrik laughed as he threw the knife, embedding it in the center of the picture of Con. “My move.”

  * * *

  Darius couldn’t believe how quickly the night passed. He hadn’t brought up Ulrik with Sophie. How could he when he couldn’t keep his hands off her? Being near her was impossible without touching her.

  He lost count of the many times they had made love. Each time he saw the pleasure cross her face, he wanted to see it again and again and again.

  While he pretended to sleep, Sophie quietly made coffee in the kitchen. He cracked open an eye and watched her through the doorway wearing nothing more than an ivory robe and her long red hair falling down her back.

  It made him smile every time he thought of her sleeping naked. She surprised him with things like that. With the way she wore her hair always up and every strand in place, he figured she would wear flannel to bed.

  Darius rolled over and watched her as she sifted through her mail. It was so mundane, and yet it fascinated him. Then again, everything about Sophie captivated him.

  He rose from the bed and put his jeans on, not bothering to button them as he walked from the bedroom. Her head lifted and she smiled.

  There was a part of Darius that realized that simple action was dangerous for him. But still he walked to her, still he allowed himself to become entangled in something that could easily rip him apart—this time for good.

  “Morning,” she said.

  He grinned. “Good morning. Did you sleep well?”

  “With what little sleep I got, yes.” Her smile widened as her eyes twinkled. “Not that I’m complaining. And you?”

  “Yes.” Though he rarely slept. As a Dragon King he didn’t need to, not even in human form. Not to mention he had been in deep dragon sleep for several centuries.

  She dropped the envelopes and turned back to the counter. “Coffee?”

  “Sure. Three teaspoons of sugar, please.”

  Sophie glanced at him over her shoulder, the surprise evident on her face. “Three?”

  “I like things sweet,” he said with a shrug.

  She laughed but added the sugar to his coffee before handing it to him. “That’s two surprises this morning.”

  “Two? What was the first?”

  “You still being here.”

  He waited until after she poured her coffee before he said, “I wasna supposed to return to you at all.”

  “Why did you?” she asked as she leaned back against the counter, her coffee mug held between her hands.

  “You know why.”

  “Because we’re good in bed together?” she asked before taking a sip of the steaming liquid.

  Darius set his mug on the table and studied her. “Does that bother you, lass?”

  “Definitely not. It’s been a long time since I’ve had sex.”

  “How long?”

  She glanced at the floor. “Too long. But that brings me to something I can’t believe as a doctor that I didn’t think about. Protection.”

  “Protection?” Darius was confused. Was she asking him to protect her from Ulrik?

  “Yes. I don’t want to get pregnant.”

  Darius could only stare at her as she spoke so matter-of-factly. It must have to do with the fact that she was a doctor and used to discussing such things.

  He was battered by the memory of holding his son in his arms. Pregnant. It could happen, as he well knew. He clenched his teeth together and waited for the worst of the pain to pass so he could breathe easier.

  Darius swallowed and shook away the memory that had pushed him to his mountain. “You needn’t worry about any diseases. As for you getting pregnant…”

  He couldn’t even finish the sentence. Darius wanted to tell her it couldn’t happen. He wished with all his might that were the truth.

  The idea that she might very well be carrying his child made him begin to shake. He couldn’t go through that again. He refused.

  “Darius? Are you all right?”

  He blinked and looked down to find Sophie next to him, her hand on his shoulder as she gazed at him with concern in her olive eyes. All right? He’d never be all right again.

  “Aye,” he lied.

  “You didn’t look all right a moment ago.”

  Darius waved away her words. “You didna upset me.”

  “Good.” She dropped her hand from his arm and picked up her coffee that was beside his on the table. “I’m not good with social niceties, Darius. I’m sure I’m going to offend you with my bluntness. It’s just how I am. Life is too short for deceptions and lies.”

  Deceptions and lies. Yes, he agreed. Yet he’d lived his entire existence from the moment of the war with the humans in shams and deceits. It was the only way he and the other Kings survived without another war.

  It would’ve been so easy to take out the mortals. Nothing they had then—or now—could kill a Dragon King. They could have wiped the realm of any existence of humans, but they hadn’t. All because of a vow.

  That oath put them in a position where they had to hide who they were and make deception a way of life. Sophie would never understand that. Most humans wouldn’t. If they only knew what the Dragon Kings had sacrificed for their existence.

  “You drifted off again,” Sophie said.

  Darius raked a hand through his hair. “I apologize. I’ve a lot on my mind.”

  “The danger you spoke of the other night?”

  “Aye.” Darius took the opportunity that presented itself and said, “There’s a man who would hurt you just from being associated with me. He’s a murderer, Sophie. He was at the hospital the other day. I followed him there. You saw both of us.”

  Her head slowly nodded. “The man in the sweater.”

  “Yes.” Darius grabbed her shoulders and looked into her eyes. “He might try to approach you. He’ll seem innocent enough, but he’s extremely cunning in—”

  “He came by the hospital to see me yesterday,” she interrupted him.

  Darius felt as if he had been skewered with Dark magic. And to think he’d almost left Edinburgh and Sophie behind. “Tell me everything.”

  CHAPTER

  FIFTEEN

  Darius’s distress was palpable. And now, so was Sophie’s.

  Murderer. That in itself frightened her. She had coffee with a killer and hadn’t even known it. What would’ve happened had she left with Ulrik? Sophie didn’t want to even think about that.

  She hadn’t felt creeped out by Ulrik, which she should’ve. Was she so used to ignoring people and being alone that she could no longer sense those kinds of things?

  Sophie stared at Darius. She didn’t need to wonder about him. From the first
there had been something appealing about him. She was drawn to Darius—and there was no ignoring it.

  It wasn’t just physical either. It was mental and emotional.

  With him, she felt normal. As if the catastrophe seven years earlier hadn’t destroyed her and her life. Safe. That’s something else he brought out. Sophie didn’t worry about anyone or anything as long as Darius was near.

  “Ulrik wanted to get me to work for him,” she said.

  Darius briefly closed his eyes. “Sophie, you’re a strong woman who knows her own mind. I can no’ tell you what to do, but I’m begging you to be careful. I’m no’ exaggerating when I say Ulrik is dangerous.”

  “Tell me what he’s done,” she urged. When Darius hesitated, Sophie grew nervous. “Tell me, please. I spent time with him. He seemed nice, although the kind of man who is used to having his wealth get him whatever he wants.”

  “I can no’ tell you details no matter how much I want to. You’ve no reason to trust me, but I’m asking that you do.”

  Sophie didn’t trust people. But she did trust Darius. It surprised her and terrified her. “You say he’s a murderer. Do you have proof?”

  “None that I can show or tell you. Ulrik has no good intentions. He’ll no hesitate to kill you or anyone around him to get what he wants.”

  “He could’ve killed me yesterday. He didn’t.”

  Darius dropped his arms and turned away to pace in the living area. He raked a hand through his hair before he stopped and faced her. “He came to the hospital the first time because he saw us together the night in the alley.”

  “He watched us…” Sophie couldn’t even finish the sentence she was so shocked. Yes she’d known they could be seen, but she hadn’t really expected anyone to come forward and admit it.

  Darius blew out a breath. “Because you were with me, he took an interest in you. I bet he’s followed you or had you followed since that night.”

  Sophie felt sick to her stomach. Ulrik had admitted to following her. “He said as much.”

  “Shite.” Darius dropped his chin to his chest for a moment before he looked back at her. “Stay away from him. He’ll only hurt you. Few come away from their dealings with Ulrik with their lives.”

  “He wants me because we were together?”

  Darius’s face was lined with worry. “Aye.”

  “Then why not just kill me? He could’ve taken me from the hospital.”

  “He could’ve. He’s got many people working for him. He didna hurt you yesterday because he wants me to know he was able to get close to you. I wasna there. I didna see it. That was his message to me.”

  “What? That he could get close to me?”

  Darius nodded. “What ruse did he use to get near you?”

  “He made mention of my philanthropic work tending to those who can’t get to the hospital. Though he never did tell me what he wanted. Once I mentioned that I saw the pain he tried to hide, he made a few remarks and left.”

  “If we’re lucky, you may have put yourself out of his path.”

  Sophie pulled out a chair at the table and sank heavily into it. “All of this because we had sex?”

  “Ulrik has it in for me and my … group.”

  Now that was interesting. Sophie wanted to know more. “Why?”

  “We saved him from a betrayal, but he didna see it that way. We then had to stop him when he began attacking others. The only way to end what he was doing was to banish him from our group.”

  “Banish him?” she repeated. She expected that from a medieval culture, but not in the here and now. Just what kind of group was Darius involved in? And did she want to be a part of it? “That’s … extreme.”

  “Perhaps. It was our only option.”

  Now it was beginning to make sense. Ulrik’s pain, his need to hurt Darius. “So Ulrik wants revenge?”

  “Aye.”

  “And he goes after anyone you and your group are with?”

  Darius gave a slight nod.

  “What about Thorn and Lexi? Are they all right?”

  “Ulrik targeted Lexi, but Thorn was able to save her.”

  Sophie leaned back in the chair while trying to grasp the situation. “This can’t be real.”

  “I’m sorry to say it is. I wanted to leave to prove to Ulrik that—”

  “I meant nothing to you,” she spoke over him. “I understand. There’s no need to explain.”

  “If he came to see you, then he didna believe what I told him.”

  “You spoke to him?” she asked in shock.

  Darius looked a tad contrite. “Aye.”

  For some reason that made her angry as well as confused. “The man who is after you? You spoke to him? Why not just try to work it out?”

  “Ulrik wants to hurt us by hurting those he believes we care about. I did talk to him, but there’s only one way this will end, Sophie.”

  “How’s that?”

  “He blames all of us, but his true target is our leader. He and Con will eventually battle it out.”

  She stared wide-eyed at Darius. Had she just stepped into a movie? All of this was so surreal. “You’re saying he’s a sociopath?”

  “I am.”

  “Why not stop him before he and Con can meet? Or why haven’t he and Con gone ahead and battled it out as you say?”

  Darius rubbed his hand over his chin. “We’ve a set of rules that must be followed.”

  “That somehow prevents you from going after Ulrik yourself?” Sophie asked. “That makes no sense. Especially if Ulrik is targeting anyone you and your group spend time with. You should be able to defend yourself.”

  “We do. Ulrik isna acting alone, though. The … people … helping him are just as dangerous. We’ve been fighting them for some time now, and always Ulrik manages to get away.”

  “Then have Con call him out and get it over with.”

  Darius lifted one shoulder as his lips twisted. “Con is searching for Ulrik for just that reason.”

  “Ulrik is here. Call Con.”

  “Con is in the city. He knows what’s going on.”

  No matter how many questions she asked and responses Darius made, Sophie was more perplexed than ever before. If only she was privy to the parts Darius was leaving out she might understand, but she had a feeling those secrets were better left unsaid.

  “I’m confused. Why hasn’t Con gotten in touch with Ulrik?”

  “He’s trying. It’s no’ as easy as it sounds. Ulrik has a plan. While he goes about it, he’s going to hurt as many of us as he can. The final blow will be attacking Con.”

  “And the all-powerful government isn’t going to move things along so people like me are safe? Tell me MI5 is involved.”

  “Oh, they’re involved,” he stated, his voice laced with irritation.

  She wondered if Darius knew he revealed he didn’t work for MI5. Sophie stared at her mug of coffee that was now lukewarm. She wouldn’t be able to drink it anyway with her stomach in knots as it was.

  “I didna mean to cause you any anguish. I just want you to be safe,” he said.

  Safe. It was such a relative thing. Was anyone ever truly safe? Even at a time when she believed she was never safer, she hadn’t been. First the city had burned and dozens killed, with no answers as to the killers. Now there was Ulrik.

  And Darius.

  “You doona believe me?”

  He said it with such confusion that Sophie almost smiled. “I’m trying to take it all in.”

  “So you doona believe me.”

  Sophie met his dark brown gaze. “It just seems so odd that Ulrik would come after me just because we had sex. Unless he knew you came here the night before last.”

  “He doesna. I made sure no one followed me. There were a couple of men watching your building, but I came in from the roof.”

  “The roof?” she asked in alarm. Was there ever going to be a time when she wasn’t taken aback by what he said?

  Probably not, and that’s
the appeal!

  True. Dammit.

  “It was the only way I could get in without them seeing me,” Darius stated as if it was a common occurrence.

  For him, she guessed it was. “And last night?”

  “They were watching the roof.”

  She looked at him expectantly. “My window was open. You came in through my window. How?”

  “I’ve skills.”

  That was one way of putting it. She knew for a fact he had many skills that he had proven to her time and again the previous night. “And Ulrik? Does he have those same skills?”

  Darius’s face mottled with anger. “Aye. I hadna thought of that. Precautions will need to be taken.”

  “Not if he doesn’t believe you’ve returned. If he comes back to the hospital I can make him think you’ve moved on. We just had a one-night stand.”

  “He’ll know I’m still here. Besides, I doona want you talking to him. I’ll make sure I’m around the hospital in case he returns.”

  Sophie got to her feet and grinned. “It’s worth a try. I won’t have my life in danger because I enjoy having sex with you. I’m going to ensure Ulrik turns his attention away from me.”

  “Doona underestimate him, Sophie.”

  “That’s one thing you don’t have to worry about.” She brought both of the mugs to the sink and dumped them. “I’d cook breakfast, but I have nothing in the flat.”

  “And I can no’ get it for us since he may see me. I doona want Ulrik to know I’m here,” Darius grumbled.

  Sophie turned to face him and looked at his impressive chest with the head of the dragon seeming to look at her from his shoulder. “I’ll go. If you want to stay, that is.”

  He visibly relaxed. “I want to stay.”

  “Good.”

  Sophie walked to the bedroom to change. She knew exactly why she wanted him to stay, and it was only partly due to his mastery in bed.

  The biggest reason was because she was enjoying having someone in her life—someone like Darius. Even if that thread of danger she’d discerned from the beginning put her in the thick of it. She still wouldn’t change anything.

  Sophie pulled on a pair of jeans and a tan sweater before reaching for her boots. She brushed out her hair and put it in a loose braid that fell over her left shoulder. A quick brush of her teeth and she walked back into the kitchen where Darius sat at the table.