by Dena Christy
He walked into the darkened house, with Elle following behind him. His brothers and their women would be asleep, but unfortunately he would have to rouse them from their beds because this situation could not wait until morning.
“Andor! Iszak! Get down here.” Elle flinched at the sudden loudness of his voice echoing in the cavernous hall of his house. He smiled apologetically at her, but there was little else he could do. His brothers needed to be up and short of going to each of their beds individually, this was the best he could do.
He could hear noise coming from the upper floor of the house and his brothers came racing down the stairs, followed by their women. Rickman came trailing down the stairs behind them, looking less than alert, his blue hair sticking out in spikes all over his head.
His brothers took in the scene, of him standing in the house with a pale and trembling Elle by his side, and knew immediately that something terrible must have happened.
“What is it?” Andor was the first to speak and his face was grave as he tucked his woman Lyssa closer to his side.
“Hunters. They’ve burned Elle’s shop and shot me. We evaded them back in Waldron Valley but this needs to end tonight.”
Lyssa stepped forward and took Elle’s hands. “Oh Elle, I’m so sorry about your shop. I was there once, do you remember?”
Elle silently nodded her head as tears ran down her cheeks, and Lyssa pulled her toward her to hug her. Gregor didn’t know his brother’s woman well, but he would be forever grateful to her for offering Elle comfort. Julia stepped forward and stopped beside the two women.
“Why don’t we get you upstairs so you can freshen up. I know it won’t change what has happened, but it might help you feel more comfortable.” Julia took Elle’s arm and turned to lead her up the stairs as Lyssa stepped away from her.
“Not you, Julia.” Gregor needed something from Iszak’s woman that he could not get while they were upstairs. “I need information. I’m hoping you can get for me. Lyssa can take Elle upstairs to freshen up.”
Julia nodded and stepped away from the other two women. Gregor watched as Lyssa led Elle away and a small stab of disappointment went through him when Elle didn’t turn to look back at him even once.
“What do you need?” Julia’s questions punctured the trance he was in as he stared up the stairs where Elle had gone. He gave his head a slight shake. There would be time for Elle to get used to everything, and he promised himself that he would do whatever it took and spend whatever he needed to replace all Elle had lost. But for right now there were more important matters to attend to, namely Gabriel Nash and his duo of cohorts.
“I need to know where they are. Do you think your grandfather would know where they are holed up while they are here in town?”
Julia bit her lip. “I can ask him, I suppose. Just let me go make a quick phone call.”
Julia left the room, and it was just him and his brothers. Gregor looked at each one and they both wore the same grim expression that matched the feeling that settle over him.
“You both know what we need to do when we find them. Their attack on me was one thing, and I was willing to let it go for the sake of peace if they were willing to quietly leave town as Julia’s grandfather had asked them too. But they put my woman in danger, and that I cannot abide.”
“It would only be a matter of time before our women are in danger too, so we want this menace stamped out as much as you do.” The look in Andor’s eyes was deadly and when Gregor turned to Iszak his were the same. Turning the other cheek was not in their nature, but they’d given the hunters a chance. Now the gloves were off.
Julia came back into the room with a slip of paper.
“Here is where they are.” She handed the paper to Gregor before coming over to stand by Iszak. She curled her hand around his neck and drew his face down close to hers. She pressed a quick kiss on his mouth and stepped away. “I won’t insult you by asking you not to go. We gave them a chance. Just return to me.”
“I will.” Iszak’s words to her were a vow as he ran a caressing hand over the bump where his child lay sleeping. “We will leave Rickman here with you for protection.”
“I don’t think they will make it out here, but it they do, do what is necessary to eliminate the threat.” Gregor looked at Rickman, who for the first time since he’d known him, wore a serious look on his face.
“I won’t let you down.”
Gregor turned on his heel and walked toward the door he’d come in only a short time ago. His brothers were behind him, and when they came back to this house, the threat against them would be eliminated.
Elle felt like she was no longer in control of her body. The shocks were piling on, one on top of the other. From the second the screaming alarm had pierced the bubble she’d been living in, her world had turned inside out and not for the good. She longed to go back in time, to yesterday before all this had happened, when she’d still been in her happy, unaware bubble. When Gregor had just been a man, a man she’d thought she might fall in love with.
She pressed the cool cloth to her face as she stared in the bathroom mirror. Her face looked so normal, the same as it did every day. But how could that be when everything was so different now? Gregor was a dragon, of all things. Even though she’d seen him turn with her own eyes. Even though she had ridden on his back, a harrowing experience all on its own, she could still not believe it. This had to be a bizarre dream that had her trapped because she couldn’t seem to wake up.
She put the cloth aside and turned away from the mirror. What was she going to do?
She opened the bathroom door, and Lyssa was standing there. There was an understanding smile on her face as if she knew what Elle was going through. Elle remembered her face from the two times she’d come to her for a reading, but could not remember the content of what she said. The only thing that had stood out for her was that all she could see at first in Lyssa’s future was dragons. At least she could say she was accurate.
“It’s a lot to take in, isn’t it?” Lyssa reached out and put a comforting hand on Elle’s shoulder. Elle allowed it to rest there for a few seconds before subtly moving away.
“Is there somewhere I can go to lie down?” Not that she wasn’t grateful for what Lyssa was trying to do, but she needed time alone to process all that had happened.
“I’ll take you to Gregor’s room.”
The last place she wanted to go was Gregor’s room, but she could hardly ask to be put somewhere else.
She followed Lyssa down the hall and into a huge bedroom. A quick glance around told her nothing more about him, the room seemed as cold and impersonal as a hotel room. In a way that was a relief because she feared that if she stayed in his room, everywhere she looked would remind her of him and she could not think of what she would do.
“This is his room. He really hasn’t put his stamp on it yet, which makes it nice for you since you can settle in here and won’t feel like you are moving into an established setting.”
Moving in? Settling? Elle didn’t even know where to begin with that statement, and she was too tired to start. She turned to Lyssa and gave her a small smile. It wasn’t her fault she assumed that she would now be a permanent fixture around the house. Who could blame her for that since Elle wasn’t even sure if she had a home to go back to at this point.
“Thank you for everything, but I’ll lie down now.”
“Do you need me to bring anything? A change of clothes or something to eat?”
“Not right now. I need time to get everything straight in my head and I’m pretty tired.”
Lyssa nodded and turned away. She walked out of the bedroom and Elle sagged onto the bed. What was happening? She was certain now she wasn’t dreaming.
She lay down and closed her eyes. There was no doubt in her mind that sleep would not come, but she shut her eyes anyway. What was she going to do? She didn’t have a home, the man she was falling in love with was not what he seemed. Did it really bother her t
hat he was a dragon?
There was a beauty about him in his dragon form, and she was not angry at him for not telling her about it. How could he have and when? It wasn’t something he could have brought into casual conversation. But the reason and the way he’d revealed it was telling. The only reason she knew he was a dragon was because he was being hunted.
She opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling. Despite her not wanting it to happen, worry crept into her belly at the thought of him out there with men hunting him. Was he safe, was he hurt or maybe even dying right now? She knew the women downstairs must be feeling the same way, and it was the reason she was up here. The anxiety inside her was building and would be fed by the anxiety of Julia and Lyssa.
Her heart pounded at the thought that he was in danger, that he was out there facing God knew what. What was she going to do if he didn’t return? Could she go through what she’d gone through when Ian had died again?
She rolled over in the bed and curled herself into a ball. She squeezed her eyes shut, telling herself over and over that he had to be okay. But the thoughts he wouldn’t be were louder, and she felt sick at the thought he would not come home.
Minutes or hours passed, she had no idea how long but she must have slept because it startled her when the door to the bedroom opened. She rolled over and there he was, standing in the doorway. Relief poured through her at the sight of him.
“I’m sorry for waking you.” He walked over to the bed and crawled in beside her. He smelled like soap and his hair was damp as if he’d come from the shower. “Go back to sleep. We’ll talk in the morning.”
He settled in behind her, pulling her against him. It took only moments for him to fall asleep but the sound of his deep, even breathing did not reassure her. He had solved the immediate problem of the hunters, he may be safe beside her but for how long? Was this what loving him would mean? Was she doomed to spend the rest of her life with him worrying about him whenever he was out of her sight? Was she going to spend all the nights for the rest of her life wondering if he would come home to her?
The questions inside her brain were relentless, and any notion of falling back to sleep was gone. She couldn’t do it. She couldn’t stay here. There was no way she was strong enough to go through this, night after night, especially not when she knew how easily violence could claim a life. It might be selfish of her, but she knew she couldn’t go through what she’d gone through with Ian again. It would destroy her utterly. There was no reassurance that the violence that had brought Gregor into her life would not take him out of it again. It would be better if she ended things now before she gave her heart to him.
She eased away from him and he made a rumble in his chest as he rolled away from her. She lay still and waited, to see if he woke up. When he did nothing more, she moved away and slipped out of bed. With no thought of where she would go but knowing she had to get out of here, she picked up her purse and left the bedroom.
The house was dark as she went down the stairs. What now? She had no idea where he lived, had no idea where she would go. She felt like a coward for slipping away in the night, but she knew if she waited for the cold light of day she would talk herself into staying. That seeing him would make her reconsider, would make her want to change her mind. And she couldn’t do that. For the sake of her sanity, in order to escape the gnawing fear that was churning inside her, she had to leave.
At the bottom of the stairs she ventured deeper into the house and saw that there was a light coming from up ahead. She walked toward it and found herself in the kitchen. Rickman sat at the counter, nursing a cup of coffee and staring straight ahead. He was muttering to himself but she couldn’t make out what he was saying. Her foot scuffed on the floor and he turned his head toward the door.
“I thought I was the only one up. You can’t sleep, either?”
Now was her chance. She hoped that she could convince him to take her away from here. It was a risk since she imagined his first loyalty would be to the dragons he served but she had to try.
“I need you to help me. I need to go.” That was all she would say, hoping he wouldn’t question her and would just take her out of here. His brows pulled together, and she knew he wouldn’t accept her at her word.
“Have you heard something about your shop? Surely anything the authorities need from you can wait until morning.”
For a second the notion of lying crossed her mind, but it was not in her nature. Besides, he would find her out when she asked to be taken to a motel.
“I can’t stay here, with Gregor. Years ago my husband was murdered and I can’t go through something like that again. I can’t be with someone who will be hunted for the rest of his life.” Her lower lip trembled, and she pressed her lips together to stop it from happening. She wanted to appear strong and determined, but the thought of Gregor dying was too much for her.
“You know they killed the hunters tonight, don’t you? They are no longer a threat to anyone.”
Elle wasn’t sure how she felt about such a casual discussion of death. Did those hunters have wives and girlfriends that might mourn them? Could she live with someone who had to kill other people to survive? She knew the dragons were only defending themselves and that if the hunters had left them in peace, they would still be alive. She knew Gregor well enough to get the sense he was not an aggressive man who destroyed lives.
“I know that, but there will be other hunters. There will always be other hunters and I can’t go through what I went through tonight for the rest of my life.”
“You don’t know that you will. It’s not like the old days, when the countryside was teaming with them.”
She didn’t want to listen to his attempt at trying to talk her into staying. She needed to go, now, before she weakened. She could not go through the anxiety and turmoil she had tonight and if Rickman wouldn’t help her, she would find another way.
“I understand why you don’t want to help me. Your first loyalty has to be to Gregor. If you could point me toward town, I’ll walk.” She turned away and left the kitchen. She headed toward the front door and she heard rapid footsteps behind her.
“He’ll be angry if I drive you away from here, but there might be a way for me to salvage that. He’ll kill me if I let you walk. Let’s go.”
14
Gregor woke up, stretched in his bed and reached for Elle. His hand encountered nothing but air, and his eyes flew open. The sun was a little brighter coming through the window than it usually was. He had slept in. Last night had been a late one once he and his brothers had finally tracked the hunters down to their little bolt hole. They would hunt no one ever again.
Gregor sat up and got out of bed. Elle must be downstairs already. She’d been sleeping when he’d come home and must have had more rest than he had. He quickly went into the bathroom that was attached to his bedroom and did what he needed to do to face the day. When he saw his reflection in the mirror, a smile spread across his face. Finally he was free to love Elle.
The hunters were gone, and Elle knew about his true nature. He had no secrets from her and they could now move forward. There was the destruction of her shop, and he knew how much it meant to her. The hunters had paid the ultimate price for destroying something that his woman loved, and he would do whatever else it took to make things right for her. She would have her shop again if that was what she wanted and it would be better than it had been before.
He realized that he was stalling going downstairs and returned to his room to get dressed. There was no reason for his delay in seeing her. But a feeling of caution held him back. What if things would not be so easily glossed over with her? There was a lot he had to make up for and he was prepared to do that. He would go as slow with her as she needed, but there was no doubt in his mind now that he loved her.
He went down the stairs and the house was quiet. No one was about, and he could not hear a single sound, no voices, nothing. His steps slowed for a moment as he felt like a weight was pressing
down on him. For an irrational second he wanted to go back up the stairs, climb back into bed and pretend that he hadn’t woken up yet.
Taking a deep breath, he went toward the kitchen where Rickman was sitting quietly. Rickman looked at him and quickly looked away. The weight pressing down on him grew heavier until it felt almost difficult to breathe. Where was Elle?
“Where is everyone?” The best course of action here was to come out and ask. He was certain that it was only his paranoid imaginings that was making him feel this way and once he knew where Elle was the weight would be lifted.
“Lyssa had to go into work for a short time, Andor is in the study. Iszak and Julia are still upstairs.” Rickman would still not look at him, and his omission of Elle’s name encircled his chest and tightened it.
“And where is Elle?” His voice came out in a growl and Rickman flinched.
“I need you to promise that you won’t do anything rash.” Rickman’s face was pale and there was fear in his eyes when he finally turned his gaze toward him.
“Where is she?” He was not reassured, and it came to him in a flash that she was not in the house. Had she gone to look at the damage done to her shop? Why had she not woken him? He would have gone with her if only to offer her comfort.
“She’s gone. She came to me last night and asked me to take her away to a motel. I’m sorry, Gregor, but I had no choice. She was determined to walk back to town if she had to and I couldn’t let her do that.”
The weight banding his chest plummeted down to the pit of his stomach. Elle had left in the night? If she had gone this morning, he could have convinced himself that she hadn’t wanted to wake him and that she would be back. Fleeing in the middle of the night had a different connotation all together. It meant that she had rejected him and had no intention of returning.
“Get out of my sight.” His eyes narrowed as he looked at Rickman. He need a target for all the pain and rejection coursing through him, and his minion was convenient. His brothers would never forgive him if he killed the blue-haired man, and that was the only thing that was saving Rickman right now. Perhaps he would come to forgive him for his role in the current devastation that was front and center in his life, but in this moment he would gladly throttle Rickman for what he had done.