by Zoe Chant
I promise I’ll be back for you, was the last thing she said, before Stefan felt the rush of air from her unfurling wings, and she launched herself out into whatever lay beyond the darkness.
Mother!
His head reeled. He didn’t understand anything. Somehow, his mother had returned from the dead; but the same thing was happening all over again. Again, she had hidden him, before promising she’d be back. Somehow, Stefan already knew that this was the last time he’d ever see either her or his sister.
It was the last time he’d see anyone in his family – in his entire clan – ever again.
Stefan struggled against the bonds of the Voice. Mother, don’t! It’s dangerous! He’ll find you! He’ll –
His desperate message to his mother was cut off suddenly by the roar of an enraged dragon. The sound seemed to cut through the air like a knife, slicing into his brain and leaving him feeling dizzy. He closed his eyes against it – and when he opened them again, the darkness was gone.
Rearing up before him was the most massive dragon that Stefan had ever seen, its scales glittering in green and gold, red eyes blazing. Its wingspan was massive as it alighted before him, smoke drifting from between its saber-sharp teeth.
Erik Lukich.
The most powerful dragon in the world.
Stefan froze, pinned beneath his malevolent red glare.
Did you think you could escape? Did you think any of you could escape?
Despite the fact that dragons could withstand even the hottest of fires, Stefan winced at the heat of Erik’s breath against his scales.
Know this: we will hunt you down. Every last one of you. There will be no Novaks left in the world. I will not rest until your line is extinguished.
The bonds of the Voice command his mother had placed on him still held Stefan’s limbs in place as Erik roared once more, the heat of his breath curling the edges of his scales, burning the delicate tissue of his wings.
Stefan struggled, but he could do nothing as Erik lifted one huge foot, claws glittering and red with blood, drawing it back before swinging it down toward him –
Stefan woke with a strangled cry, bathed in sweat.
At first, he couldn’t tell where he was – the same darkness engulfed him, just as it had in his dream. But then, slowly, just as his eyes began to adjust to the low light, memories began filtering back to him. The forest. The cabin. Holly.
His heartbeat racing in his ears, Stefan glanced down, relief washing over him as he saw the curled figure beside him, still sleeping soundly.
She’s safe.
Of course she was safe. This wasn’t that time long ago, when his mother had hidden him in a cave before leaving with Darklis. She had promised him she’d be back, but she had never returned.
He had waited for her for days – weeks, even, until hunger had finally driven him out of the cave to find food. A dragon could survive on very little when it had to, but even they had to eat sometime.
He had known, then, that the Lukich Clan was bent on wiping them out. But his parents had never explained to him why. What was it that had caused the blood feud between the two clans? Stefan knew that he would never know. Not with his own family utterly destroyed. And it wasn’t as if he could ask the Lukich Clan: he’d be killed on sight.
That was how blood feuds were conducted.
There hadn’t been one in centuries, before the one that had wiped out the Novaks.
Except for me.
Stefan shivered as the memory of the dream played through his mind again. It had been strange in a way that only dreams could be: he had known that his mother was dead, even as she’d spoken to him. It was like he’d been re-living the moment she’d left him all over again, but already knowing the outcome.
There was no way they could still be alive. If any of them were, they would have come back for him. They would have sensed him, or would have felt the call of what was left of their hoard and come looking for it.
But no one ever had.
It was just him.
And when he died, there would be no more Novak dragons left.
A chill ran through Stefan as he recalled Erik Lukich’s words to him in his dream: Know this: we will hunt you down. Every last one of you. There will be no Novaks left in the world. I will not rest until your line is extinguished.
Stefan had no doubt it was true. The Lukich Clan wouldn’t rest until they were wiped out.
And now, you’ve put your mate in the path of danger.
Stefan’s blood ran ice cold as soon as the thought entered his head. He looked down at Holly’s face as she slept. She was so beautiful – utterly peaceful in sleep, her sweet, heart-shaped face completely untroubled, her long eyelashes resting against her cheeks. Her blonde curls fell wildly over her shoulders. The bedsheet, pulled tight around her, outlined her lush, gorgeous curves to perfection.
As he looked at her, Stefan’s heart was filled with love and longing – and self-recrimination.
How could you have done this? The one thing you swore you’d never do?
He had promised himself that even if he ever found his mate, he’d never endanger her. Even if she had been another shifter, her life would have become a lot more hazardous if she’d accepted their mated bond and joined him.
But for a human…
A human who didn’t know and couldn’t understand what dangerous forces were facing them. What kind of power could hunt them down at any second.
He had told himself that he would simply leave this afternoon, and never come back. Holly would only remember him as a man with whom she had spent the night, and then move on with her life.
That was all. That was all you were supposed to do.
But instead, when he had touched her leg, it had been like a power beyond his control had gripped him. His dragon had risen within him, overpowering his good sense. His rational mind had fled, and all that remained was the knowledge that she was his mate, and he needed her. He had never known such yearning in all his life – and in the end, he had been helpless against it.
But now that it was over, Stefan began to realize just what a huge mistake he had made.
They couldn’t be together. He couldn’t ask that of her: to endanger her life like that, to live completely isolated from society, for fear that the Lukich Clan may one day find them.
She was a human, so even though she would have felt the bond between them, she wouldn’t have known it was a mated bond, or what it meant. There was every chance she would leave here and go on to live a perfectly happy life without him. She would meet another man, settle down, and live a normal life. She would have children. And she would always be safe.
His dragon rose within him once more at the thought of her with anyone else, eyes blazing, teeth bared. But Stefan forced it down viciously, telling it that it had caused enough trouble already.
He had already been utterly and completely selfish in sleeping with her. He couldn’t now compound the problem by telling her what their bond meant, or asking her to stay with him.
It would be better if he were to leave, now, without a word.
Revulsion rose up inside him at the thought, bile bubbling in his throat. Holly had told him she was still only just getting over a bad experience with an ex-boyfriend. Could he really hurt her like this?
Stay. Explain. At least tell her to her face you’re leaving.
The thought was a tempting one. But Stefan knew that if he had to see her face as he told her, he would never be able to go through with it. He wouldn’t be able to leave her side.
And in not leaving her, he was basically signing her death warrant.
It was better this way. It was better that she thought him a bastard who’d run off after he’d gotten what he wanted. If she hated him, then so much the better. She’d never think about him again. She’d never try to find him. She’d just write him off as another prick of a man, not even worth her time.
The thought pierced his heart, but he knew it was true.
This was better.
This would keep her safe.
But can you bring yourself to do it?
Stefan hesitated, looking down at Holly’s beautiful face.
She looked so peaceful in sleep – so perfect.
My mate. Forgive me. Please know I wouldn’t do this if I had a choice.
Steeling himself, Stefan slowly, carefully began to slide out of the bed, willing himself to be strong enough to do what needed to be done.
“Stefan?”
Holly’s voice was soft with sleep as she blinked at him, half sitting up on the bed.
Stefan froze. Despite his best efforts, he must have disturbed her as he had gotten up.
“Is everything all right?” she asked, running a hand through her riot of golden curls.
She was looking at him now, more awake than she had been a moment ago, blue eyes wide with alarm.
Stefan felt his heart contract as he looked at her.
“Everything’s okay,” he said. Desperately, he wished it were true – that somehow, by holding her and kissing her beautiful face, he could make it true.
Holly paused, before shaking her head, her expression confused. “Maybe I had a bad dream,” she said. “I just… suddenly felt like something was terribly wrong. I don’t know what.” She shuddered, then glanced up at him. “Sorry. I guess I was just being silly.”
His heart thumping against his ribcage, Stefan sat back down on the bed and gathered her into his arms. She settled against his chest willingly, sighing softly as he held her.
She must have detected his own bad dreams through their bond, Stefan realized. All dragons had some level of psychic ability – mostly with each other, but Stefan had heard of dragons who had learned to communicate with their human mates too. Perhaps Holly was especially sensitive to it.
And in that moment, he knew he couldn’t leave her.
Whether she understood it or not, they were bonded now – mated for life. They were a pair. And Stefan knew that even if it cost him his life, he had to stay with her. To protect her. To shield her from whatever danger might come their way.
If she will have me, he thought. Once she knows what I am. What danger being with me puts her in.
“Don’t be scared,” he said, stroking his fingers over her hair. “It was only a dream.”
And in that moment, he would have given anything in the world for that to be true.
Chapter Seven
Holly
The strange sense of unease that Holly had woken with during the night still hadn’t dissipated when she rose from the bed later that morning.
She remembered that Stefan had held her in his arms until she had dropped back off to sleep – so waking now and finding herself alone sent a horrified thrill of disappointment through her chest. Swallowing, Holly tried to rationalize away the forlorn feeling in her heart.
It was only a one-night stand, she tried to tell herself as she got up, wrapping the bedsheet around her body. An amazing, earth-shattering, unrepeatable one-night stand. You knew that. What were you expecting?
She knew she was being foolish. She hadn’t thought Stefan would stick around – and anyway, she wasn’t even sure that was what she wanted herself. It was true she’d felt a greater connection to him in only a few hours than she’d felt with George in all of their five years together, but it was too early to think about rushing headlong into another relationship. Her heart was still too tender to risk having it broken all over again.
At least, that’s what she tried to tell herself.
Coffee. Coffee will fix things.
Tucking the sheet tightly between her breasts, Holly made her way out to the kitchen.
And almost jumped out of her skin when she found Stefan standing there, shirtless, coffee pot in hand.
Holly bit her lip. She’d only caught glimpses of his physique as she tore his clothes off his body last night. She’d been able to tell it was impressive, but in the warm light of day, he was utterly stunning.
“Good morning,” Stefan said, pouring coffee into a mug for her. “Did you sleep well?”
Holly, gazing at the tight grid of his abdominal muscles, found she could only nod vaguely.
“I made coffee – but I wasn’t sure what you’d like for breakfast.”
Holly took the proffered mug of coffee, still trying to pull herself together after the surprise of finding Stefan hadn’t slipped out on her during the night, and the… well, the muscles. He really was the most magnificently built man she’d ever seen in her whole life.
“It’s okay, you don’t need to make me anything,” she said, finally recovering enough to speak. She took a long, hot swallow of coffee, and hoped the caffeine hit might help get her brain into gear. “I could –”
Stefan shook his head. “Let me.”
Holly could feel heat rising in her face. Had any man ever offered to cook for her before?
“Okay,” she said uncertainly. “Well, there’s bacon in the fridge, and some eggs too. I never say no to a good traditional breakfast.”
Stefan laughed softly. “I think I can manage that. You take a seat. This shouldn’t take long.”
Holly pulled a stool out from the counter, sitting down while she sipped her coffee and watched Stefan’s broad back as he flipped sizzling bacon and cracked eggs. He seemed to have more than an idea of what he was doing, though Holly was amazed he was willing to stand so close to a pan spitting hot oil, without so much as a stitch on his chest.
He’s a mountain man, she reminded herself appreciatively. Maybe they’re just made of tougher stuff than the rest of us.
“More coffee?”
Stefan’s voice broke her out of her reverie.
“Oh – yes, please,” she stuttered. “That’d be great.”
She watched as Stefan poured another cup, scrupulously stirring in her one teaspoon of sugar – while heaping three into his own cup.
“I still can’t get over that,” she laughed as he took a long drink. “How can you drink it? And you sure don’t look like the kind of guy who’d have a sweet tooth.”
Stefan hesitated, and again, Holly felt the strange sensation that something was wrong. She didn’t know what, or how. But all at once, she felt desperate unease wash over her. She blinked, suddenly wary.
What’s going on? she asked herself suddenly, her eyebrows drawing together.
As if sensing her growing alarm, Stefan set down his cup on the bench, leaning forward to take her hand.
“Holly, we should talk,” he said, his voice sounding thick.
Holly felt the wind knocked out of her. She’d had a moment of elation when she’d come out to find that Stefan was still here after all, but then again, she thought, she supposed she’d always known this was just too good to be true. He was just being decent by actually telling her not to have any expectations of him, instead of just sneaking away in the middle of the night.
“It’s fine,” she said, trying her hardest to keep the tremble out of her voice. “I get it – it was just a one-night stand. You don’t need to explain. I’m not about to get all clingy or try to make you stay.” She forced a quick laugh, even as she felt sick to her stomach. “It’s really not a problem.”
Stefan blinked at her, confused. “What? No – no, I swear it’s not that. It’s nothing like that. And maybe it’ll mean… maybe it’ll mean you won’t want to stay with me.”
Holly’s head felt like it was spinning on her shoulders. Everything was moving so fast – they’d only just met, and now Stefan was wondering if she wanted to stay with him? Sure, she wasn’t ready to let him go just yet, but was she really ready to jump into something more serious so quickly? She felt so bewildered she barely knew where to start.
“Stefan, I don’t know what you’re – I mean, we only just met, and I – well, I just got out of a difficult relationship, and…” She took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing mind. “And you don’t even know me that well. How do you know you’d e
ven want to stay with me?”
Stefan’s green eyes were steady on hers. “Believe me, Holly. I know. I… I just hope I can explain it to you so that all this will seem… well, not understandable, but, I hope, not frightening.”
Her heart and mind in a whirl, Holly could only stare at him. She opened her mouth, then closed it again, aware that she must look like a fish out of water, but unable for the moment to form any other kind of response.
… At least, not until she smelled the smoke.
“Oh my God, Stefan – the bacon!”
Stiffening, Stefan turned back to the stove, and Holly looked around him to see fire licking up from the pan. She gasped, jumping to her feet to grab the fire extinguisher from the wall next to the kitchen shelves. She yanked it down, pulling the nozzle from its cradle, fumbling with the lever.
“Don’t worry, I can help with th– ” Holly started to say, before turning, extinguisher at the ready, to see Stefan holding the pan in his bare hands – one on the handle, the other…
… The other smothering the fire.
Holly stared at him, open mouthed, before her brain fully processed what she was looking at, and she shrieked in horror.
“Oh my God! Put that down! You’ll burn yourself!”
In the part of her mind that was still functioning as normal, Holly knew it was way too late for that. Stefan had put his hand right over an open flame, and right into a pan of burning-hot oil – it was way beyond time to worry that he might burn himself. He’d be looking at second-degree burns, at the very least.
As she threw the fire extinguisher aside and reached toward the freezer to grab some ice – it won’t be enough, oh God, I’ll have to get him to a hospital – somewhere in the back of her mind, Holly registered that Stefan was not behaving like someone who’d just severely burned his hand.
He wasn’t dropping the pan or clutching his hand.
He wasn’t yelling in pain.
His facial expression hadn’t even changed.
Maybe he’s a tough, strong manly-man, Holly thought as she turned back to him, but this is ridiculous.
Eyes wide, she watched as Stefan calmly placed the pan down on the sink, the charred remains of the bacon still sizzling.