Smoldering Hunger

by Donna Grant

  “All right,” she said with a nod.

  Darius rose and paced slowly. He glanced at Sophie to find her watching him closely. “There’s no other way to say it than to just say it.”

  “So spit it out.”

  He halted and faced her. “My dragon tat isna there because I chose it. It’s there because it’s what I am.”

  She gazed at him silently for a moment before she said, “I don’t understand.”

  “I’m a Dragon King, Sophie.”

  “Okay,” she said, drawing out the last syllable. “Is that some kind of gang or something?”

  Darius wished Con or someone else were here to explain it to her, because he was mucking it up badly. “Let me start at the beginning. This realm formed when time began, and with time came dragons.”

  “Realm?” she repeated with a small frown.

  He was losing her, he could tell. But he had to finish. “There were millions of us. Every size and all colors. It wasna just birds in the sky, but dragons as well. We were divided by colors, and within each faction was a leader—a king. The most powerful of the kings became King of Kings.”

  Sophie barely batted an eye as she listened.

  “For eons we lived here and ruled this planet. Then one day, humans were here. Suddenly each of the Dragon Kings shifted into the form of a mortal. That’s how we were able to communicate with them.”

  “So you became a human?”

  “We were able to shift at will.” Darius sat on the arm of the sofa. “We moved dragons out of territories so the mortals would have somewhere to live. Tensions were always high, but we managed it and kept the peace. Some of us Kings even took humans as lovers. Ulrik was such a King.”

  Sophie’s eyes widened, but she didn’t speak.

  “He was going to take her as his mate. It’s a ceremony in which the mortal would then become immortal, living as long as her King did. But it wasna to be.”

  Darius squeezed the bridge of his nose. “Con, the King of Kings, discovered Ulrik’s woman was going to attempt to kill him. It was a foolish plan, because the only thing that can kill a Dragon King is another Dragon King. But she didna know that. All she wanted to do was instigate a war.

  “Con sent Ulrik away on some mission. While he was gone, we cornered the woman and killed her. When Ulrik returned he was furious. With her, with us. With the world. He turned that hate to the humans.”

  “What did Ulrik do?” Sophie asked in a soft voice.

  “He started a war. Mortals killed dragons, and dragons killed mortals. When the humans came, each King vowed to protect them. We had to stop Ulrik, except he wouldna listen to reason. Nothing we said made a dent in his anger. The dragons had magic, and we were stronger. We could’ve won the war with the mortals, but it was our vow that prevented us from joining Ulrik.

  “To help put an end to the war, we sent our dragons away. We all thought it would be for a short time, just until the mortals calmed down. Four of Ulrik’s Silvers wouldna leave his side. We captured them and put them into a magical sleep. Then we went after Ulrik.”

  Darius dropped his chin to his chest and closed his eyes. “We stripped him of his magic, preventing him from shifting into a dragon so that he was destined to walk the world as the very thing he hated.”

  “A human.”

  He nodded, not looking at Sophie. “We banished him from Dreagan. Afterward, we all went to our mountains and slept away centuries, waiting for a time when we passed into myth. After a few hundred years, we awoke and took our places beside you. We hide our true selves, only taking to the skies during the night. Or at least we used to. All that has changed with Ulrik’s revenge and his allegiance with another group.”

  Silence met him. After a while, Darius lifted his head and found Sophie staring at him. Her face was ashen, her eyes glazed over.

  “I ken it’s a lot to take in, but it’s all true. I’ve never lied to you. And I never will.”

  “That story is preposterous,” she said. Then she closed her eyes and shook her head as she turned away. “I trust you, and you haven’t lied to me. I don’t want to believe any of this. It doesn’t make sense.” She looked at him then. “Can you show me?”

  “If I shifted now, I’d destroy your flat. But there is something I can do. If you’ll allow.”

  She gave a quick nod. Darius moved to sit beside her, then he took her hands in his. As he held her gaze, he thought of the time before humans, a time of dragons. Then he pushed that thought into Sophie’s mind with his dragon magic.

  * * *

  Sophie wanted to believe Darius, but how could she? Everyone knew dragons weren’t real. If there were dragons, someone somewhere would’ve seen something. Nothing could be hidden in this technological age. Nothing.

  She felt something push against her mind while she gazed into Darius’s chocolate eyes. Then it was there, the memory playing in her head as if it were her own.

  Dragons. Thousands of dragons. There were massive ones flying in the sky. Tiny ones who built their homes in the sides of cliffs, and even ones who called the oceans home. Just as he’d said, they were every size, every color. And they were beautifully magnificent.

  The memory faded away. Sophie blinked, looking at Darius anew. “That was you?”

  “With my dragon magic.”

  Magic? Was she really going to believe in that and dragons?

  “Now do you understand why I didna want to tell you?” Darius asked.

  Sophie took a deep breath. “I do.”

  “That’s who I am.” He hesitated, swallowing. “But it isna my past. I was also going to take a mate.”

  Those few words hurt Sophie more than she’d thought possible. That’s how she knew she’d fallen head over heels for Darius.

  “We doona carry diseases, but we can impregnate a mortal. There is something incompatible between our two species. Most of the women miscarry within weeks. But each month that passed, her belly grew. I held out hope my child would be the exception to the rule.”

  Sophie tried to swallow, but her mouth was too dry. She held Darius’s hands tighter.

  “She went into labor. Every Dragon King held his breath to see if the bairn would live. A few women managed to carry the infants to term, but all of them were stillborn. My child was strong. He was going to beat the odds.”

  Tears gathered in Sophie’s eyes, but she refused to let them spill.

  “There was a problem with the birth,” Darius continued, his voice flat. “There was so verra much blood. We tried to help her, but nothing worked. Con could’ve healed her. He would’ve. If he’d been there. She was so weak she could barely birth our child. She died as he came into the world.”

  Sophie felt a tear drop onto her cheek. Darius’s chest expanded before he released a breath, sadness filling his gaze.

  “My son followed her a few minutes later. I lost them both in one night.”

  There were no words to heal the wounds inside Darius, and Sophie didn’t even try. She wrapped her arms around his neck and simply held him. The way his arms tightened about her, almost crushing her, told her how much he was hurting.

  And she hurt with him.

  CHAPTER

  TWENTY-FIVE

  Darius stood on the roof and stared at the Portuguese restaurant that Ulrik had recently entered. His emotions were still raw from his talk with Sophie. The rage roiling inside him at Ulrik’s attempt to get her alone overflowed.

  The stone crumbled beneath Darius’s hands. He released his hold and leaned back from the edge of the roof. His emotions needed to be brought under control if he was going to proceed with his plan.

  It wasn’t easy when all he wanted to do was race back to Sophie and make love to her. What was wrong with him? Was it because he’d shared his past? Surely not.

  It was one thing to slake his lust with her willing body. It was quite another when he craved her to such a degree that he was willing to do anything to have her in his arms.

  Darius didn�
�t want to imagine how this night might have gone had he and Sophie not trusted each other. She could be here instead of him—and maybe not as bait. Ulrik was persuasive. He might’ve talked her into joining him.

  That made Darius extremely thankful. It also reminded him that it was time for him to get down there and confront Ulrik.

  He jumped silently from the roof to an alley. He bypassed Ulrik’s men—who were entirely too overconfident—and snuck close to the restaurant.

  There was a grunt then the sound of someone hitting the ground. Darius turned, only to find Con walking toward him.

  “Did you just knock out one of Ulrik’s men?” Darius asked.

  Con smiled brightly. “I may have knocked all six unconscious. Including the MI5 agents following me.”

  Darius had to chuckle. “You didna save one of Ulrik’s men for me?”

  “You’re the one who walked right past them.”

  That had Darius narrowing his eyes on Con. “How long have you been here?”

  “Awhile.”

  “How did you know the restaurant?”

  Con shrugged, his jacket opening to reveal the blue shirt beneath. None of them got cold, but in order not to draw interest, the Kings wore coats in the winter. Sometimes.

  “I found you earlier,” Con said. “I said your name, but you didna hear me. I gather the building you snuck out of is the doc’s?”

  “Ballocks.”

  “You were focused on Sophie.”

  Darius sighed. “She wanted to use herself as bait. I talked her out of it.”

  “And?” Con pressed.

  “She shared her past.”

  Con’s lips pinched. “I gather you shared yours. Did you also share our secret?”

  “Aye.” Darius wasn’t going to apologize for it. He’d made a decision, and he’d stand by it.

  “So. She’s your mate.”

  That took Darius aback. “I’ve already had my mate. And lost her before the mating ceremony.”

  “Are you sure?”

  Darius had known Con would try this tactic. “Am I sure I’ve already had my mate? Aye.”

  “You’re going to great lengths to protect Sophie. Makes me wonder if she isna your mate,” Con argued.

  “I’m concerned Ulrik will try to harm another innocent.” But that wasn’t all, and he knew it. Con was asking if Sophie might be his mate when he himself had had that same thought a fleeting time or two.

  Con’s gaze shifted through the window to where Ulrik sat behind the curtain. “What’s your plan?”

  “He thinks Sophie is coming.”

  Con cut him a look. “He has her watched. He knows she’s no’.”

  “It doesna matter.”

  “You should’ve let her come.”

  Darius gave Con a dark glare. “He’ll have been expecting her to be used as bait.”

  “You’re saying we can no’ outwit him?”

  “I’m saying he’s way ahead of us. He’s been planning this a verra long time, as is evident in every move he makes. Even when we try to change the game, he manages to stay ahead.”

  Con stared at Ulrik for a long time in silence. “We must win this war. And sometimes innocents must be sacrificed for the others to win.”

  Darius was flabbergasted. “You can no’ be serious. You want to willingly put Sophie in his trap? A woman who helped us when we needed it?”

  “She isna the first innocent, and she willna be the last.” Con glanced at him once more. “Go to Dreagan.”

  “Nay.”

  Con’s head slowly turned to him. “I thought you said she wasna your mate. Why are you fighting so hard for her?”

  “I’m no’.” Darius shook his head as he laughed. “We made a vow, remember? That same promise sent our dragons away and had us hiding for centuries. You now want to disregard that?”

  “No’ at all.”

  Darius seriously considered punching him. “You’re testing my patience.”

  “I wanted to see your reaction. I agree with your assessment of the situation. Find out what you can from Ulrik and report back. I’ll keep an eye on Sophie in the meantime,” he said and then turned on his heel and walked away.

  Darius frowned after him. Would the night get any weirder? At this point he was having a difficult time determining which way was up.

  But there was one thing he did know, and that was that Ulrik needed to be stopped.

  CHAPTER

  TWENTY-SIX

  Darius walked into the dimly lit restaurant. Within moments, he was taken to the back where sheer curtains divided the table from the main dining area.

  The curtain was pulled to one side by the maître d’. Ulrik stood, meeting his gaze. Darius noted Ulrik didn’t seem surprised to find him there.

  Darius pulled out his chair and eyed Ulrik in his black suit and light gold dress shirt that made his eyes stand out. A black tie that looked to have some kind of small gold design on it finished it off.

  His hair was pulled back in a queue, and those gold eyes were directed squarely at him.

  “Darius,” he said in his smooth voice as he resumed his seat. “How … unsurprising.”

  Darius grabbed the bottle of red wine from the bucket and poured himself a glass. “Let’s dispense with all the threats and declarations. Why no’ just tell me why you willna leave Dr. Martin alone?”

  “Because you’ve no’ left her alone.”

  He sat back, his wineglass in hand as he observed Ulrik. “Do you really expect me to believe that you’d have left her alone if I’d departed the city?”

  “Of course no’.”

  “She’s a healer, Ulrik. All she did was help Thorn and Lexi.”

  Ulrik’s smile was slow. “You’ve always been choosy about your females. The doctor is a good choice. Brilliant, beautiful, and stalwart.”

  “Your point?”

  “She’s important to you.”

  Darius was going to have to tread carefully. “I’m here because I’m the one in Edinburgh.”

  At this Ulrik made a sound. “So is Con. He could’ve come in your place. But instead it’s you.”

  “Con is dealing with something else. You two have already had your discussion.”

  “So have you and I. Why repeat it?”

  Darius set down his untouched wine on the table. “You want to come after me, then do it. Stop using others.”

  “Tell me, Darius. Did you enjoy telling Rhi that it was over between her and—”

  “Stop,” he said over Ulrik. “You’re no’ going to rile me.”

  Ulrik’s smile widened. “I already have.”

  How satisfying it would be if Darius shifted and torched the entire restaurant, reminding Ulrik that he was still trapped in his human form.

  That might’ve happened hundreds of years ago, but not now. Especially with the video leaked of them. Darius had no choice but to remain as a human and deal with Ulrik without causing a scene.

  Difficult considering Darius wanted to cause a very big scene.

  “Nothing to say?” Ulrik taunted with a grin.

  Darius rested on arm on the table. “I think you’re too afraid to go after us yourself. You’ve been too long without your magic and power. You doona remember what it’s like to have that, so you put your energy into hurting the humans. Still holding that grudge, I see.”

  “And you’re no’?” Ulrik grunted, all pretense of a smile gone. “Can you honestly tell me you doona look at them and wonder what our lives would be like if I’d wiped them from existence?”

  “I doona deny it, but it makes little difference. We made a vow, Ulrik. A promise that as Dragon Kings we doona break.”

  “Con has made many promises. Trust me when I say he’s broken most of them.”

  As close as Con and Ulrik had been, Ulrik would’ve been privy to much of what Con did. But he could be saying that in an attempt to turn Darius from Con and the others. “Nice try.”

  Ulrik raised a black brow. “There’s one t
hing I’ve no’ done during all of this, old friend, and that’s lie.”

  Darius spent a few moments thinking through everything that had happened up until that moment. “Did you bring Lily back to life?”

  “Are you going to go through everything you think I’ve done and ask me to give you an answer?”

  “You’ve never answered anyone about that. I’m asking now.”

  “Lily was dead. Then she wasna.”

  “That’s your answer?” Darius asked in confusion.

  Ulrik shrugged slightly. “That’s all you’re going to get.”

  He was the only one who could bring someone back from the dead, which meant it was him. But why couldn’t he just admit it? “And Darcy?”

  “It had to be done,” Ulrik said, his gold eyes going even colder than before.

  Another admission, without actually saying the words. Ulrik wasn’t lying. Shite.

  “If I’m no’ lying, then who is?” Ulrik asked.

  “You’re trying to undermine Con.”

  “He’s doing that without my help.” Ulrik rose and buttoned his suit jacket. “Whether you know it or no’, you’ve showed your hand where Sophie is concerned. You care for her. Greatly.”

  Darius got to his feet and glared at Ulrik. “I’m the one in the city. It’s up to me to protect her.”

  “And apparently share her bed.”

  “We all have needs.”

  Ulrik slid a hand in his pants pocket and walked around the table. He paused when he was even with Darius. “I’ll have Sophie as mine. One way or another.”

  “I’ll kill you myself if you lay a hand on her.”

  “Ask yourself why Con was so intent on me challenging him when he first became King of Kings. It’s because he knows I can take him. And if I can take him, I can do the same to you.”

  “With only half your magic?” Darius asked with a sneer.

  But Ulrik merely grinned before he walked away.

  Darius wanted to chase after him and put an end to Ulrik that night. Con might be pissed, but he’d get over it.

  He closed his eyes and brought his rage under control. Con wouldn’t just be pissed. He might very well lock Darius up for eternity for going after Ulrik.

  The one thing Con had demanded was that Ulrik was his—and his alone.