But his rage over that was nothing compared to what he found when he turned down the short hallway to his workroom. He could see, even before he reached the door, that not only had it been destroyed, but Katsaros had pulled shut the remnants of it, as if to taunt him with the failure of his wards.
He pushed the door open and gave a furious roar threaded with so much magic that everything in the small workroom rattled and shook, as if tossed in a vicious wind. A few things crashed to the floor, adding to the destruction. But it hardly mattered. Because the room and all its contents were dead. Everything damn thing in his workroom had been drained of magic, as useless as a fisherwoman’s kitchen. He closed his eyes, struggling for control, then opened them again and strode directly to his work bench. He wasn’t surprised to see that his enemy had stolen every bit of material related to the construction of his device. He probably hoped to discover how it worked, and what it could do. By now, he’d know it was a reservoir of power, whether Dragan had told him of his taunts when he’d still been imprisoned, or because the Mexican vampires had whined about him stealing the lives of their masters. Damn vampires were much more connected than they used to be. Once he’d succeeded in eliminating Katsaros, maybe he’d take out a few troublesome vampire lords.
That was a sweet thought, but not enough to take his mind away from the utter destruction surrounding him. Just as the penthouse had been his main residence, this workroom had been his haven—the place where he conjured his best spells and created his most vicious schemes. It was useless now. It would take years to deaden the space, to nullify not only the remaining wisps of his own power, but to cleanse every last bit of Katsaros’s destruction. The remaining spell ingredients were fit only for the trash heap. He could resurrect the books, at least. But it would take years for them to absorb the magical fullness they’d lost. Decades even.
He pinched the bridge of his nose, hard. He’d have to sell the penthouse and start over somewhere else, now that Katsaros knew of it. The only bright spot was that his enemy hadn’t managed to grab the device itself, because it had been with him, as he’d flown home from Mexico.
Everything wasn’t lost. He had the device, he knew it worked, and he knew where he’d be testing it.
He stood in the rubble of his workroom and smiled. “Get ready, Nicodemus Katsaros,” he muttered. “Payback is coming sooner than you think.”
DRAGAN TURNED INTO the hotel parking lot, wondering if he was going to be carrying Maeve up to their room. She’d fallen soundly asleep soon after they left Nico’s house. But the minute he pulled into a parking space and stopped the car, she sat up as abruptly as if an alarm had gone off. She turned to stare at him, appearing adorably owlish as she blinked in confusion, before awareness came back to her eyes.
Gazing around, she said, “We’re here.”
“We are. And without a bit of trauma, too.”
“Ha ha.” She yawned hugely. “Can you carry me to the room?”
“Sure.”
She smiled. “You would, too. Fortunately, there’s an elevator.”
He shrugged and opened the SUV’s door. “It’s only five floors, sweet. And you’re a wee bit of a thing.”
“I am not a wee bit. I’m petite. It’s fashionable.”
He was at her open door by then. “As you say. I’ll take that.” He reached for the canvas case which held her computer and files, and knew she was truly weary when she let him take those away from her. Sliding the strap over one shoulder, he held out his other hand, wanting to be sure she didn’t stumble.
“I’m okay. Just tired. I’m not used to breaking and entering, and flying through the night in a gorgeous man’s arms.”
“I would hope not.” He kept his arm around her waist, worried she’d fall over, and even took the elevator, though he didn’t enjoy it.
As the room door closed behind them, he asked, “Bath or shower?”
“Shower. I might fall asleep and drown in the bath.”
He laughed. “As if I’d ever let that happen.”
She rolled her eyes at the same moment she cracked another huge yawn and stumbled into the wall. She shot a quick glance his way, checking to see if he’d noticed, but he pretended to be occupied with placing her computer case on the small table. His peripheral vision was far superior to a regular human’s, far better than she knew. He didn’t need to be staring at her directly, to keep watch on her.
He walked ahead of her and turned on the hot water in the shower, having learned that she liked to fill the room with steam before stepping under the spray. As he turned from closing the glass door, he saw that she was standing in the doorway, stripping off her clothes and dropping them onto the closet floor across the hall. He stood there for a moment, admiring her strong, lithe form, her breasts heavy on her narrow torso, her hips slender as a boy’s. She was utterly unlike the women he’d grown up with, and yet, she was perfect for him.
She glanced up, saw him watching, and blushed, the color traveling from her cheeks to her chest, tightening her nipples in a way that had him growling with hunger as he reached for her. Pulling her against him as he brought her to her toes, he kissed her thoroughly, trying to put everything he felt for her into the sweep of his tongue, the press of his lips, his arms as they held her close. “Mae,” he whispered. “My Mae.”
She kissed him back as furiously, her arms tight around his neck as she strained against him. Until she seemed to realize she was naked, while he was fully clothed. “Hey. You have clothes on.”
He grinned. “Would you rather I go about naked?”
“Yes. At least when we’re alone,” she added.
“My lady’s wish is my command.” He reached over his head and grabbed the back of his t-shirt, pulling it over his head as he bent over to untie and step out of his boots. A moment later, he’d stripped off his jeans and underwear, and had her against his chest once more, enjoying the slide of her silky skin against his. “Come on, sweet.” Opening the door, he lifted her off her feet and walked into the shower, careful to place his back against the pounding hot water.
“Mmm. That’s nice,” she said, cuddling against him as he slowly turned so the water ran down her body. “Will you wash me, too?”
“Sure.” He knew she’d been teasing, but he reached behind her for the shower gel and rubbed a generous amount between his hands, until it was mostly foam. He washed her lovely body with long, sensuous strokes, making love to her with his hands, until she was soft and relaxed against him, a silky temptation that he didn’t want to resist. Placing one palm on her abdomen, he slid it slowly between her thighs, letting his fingers glide between the lips of her pussy, until the slickness of her arousal was hotter against his fingers than the water. Pushing two stiff fingers inside her, he moved them in and out as he would his cock, spreading them wider as her inner muscles began to adjust to the intrusion, rubbing her clit with the roughness of his thumb. Lightly at first, and then harder as his rhythm grew faster. Her arms reached up and over his shoulders, fingers digging into muscle, her breathing growing short and fast, while she gripped him ever closer.
She cried out when she climaxed, her hot juices drenching his hand as she writhed in his arms. Dragan held on to her until she’d stopped trembling, his lips curved into a smile against her wet hair. He loved the way she orgasmed. She was so unabashedly sensual, the scent of her arousal so deliciously sweet.
She was still limp when he washed her pussy clean, shivering when he deliberately brushed against her too-sensitive clit.
“You did that on purpose,” she muttered.
He kissed the top of her head. “Complaining?”
She bit his chest in payback. Or she tried to. All she managed to get was skin and a few hairs, and he had to bite back a laugh when she tried to spit out the latter.
“Come here,” he said, grabbing a big, so
ft towel and wrapping her up in it, holding it tight under her chin as he leaned down to kiss her lightly. “Out, unless you want to get water all over. I need to shower.”
MAEVE GRABBED HER makeup case, closed the bathroom door behind her, and wrapped in the huge towel, walked out to the bedroom. It wasn’t really a “makeup” case, she didn’t have that much. But it was convenient and held everything that usually occupied her bathroom and shower back home. Or wherever she lived. She didn’t have a home right now, other than the one with her parents back in Tennessee. They always welcomed her with open arms, but she didn’t think they’d be too excited if she moved in permanently.
Now that Sotiris’s lake house was gone—for her anyway—she’d have to figure out where to live next. Hopefully with Dragan, though a niggling part of her brain kept whispering doubts, making her wonder if she was making more of their relationship than it really was. No matter what he’d said about loving her just as she was, it didn’t change the facts. He was a warrior, a hero. And what was she? A computer geek. And not even that full-time. And for all her supposed brain power, which he’d admired, she hadn’t done much with herself.
She sighed and set her case down on the bed, then flipped the lid back and reached for her body lotion. She did her legs first, then her arms, then switched bottles and looked around for a mirror to apply her face cream. The routine was so soothing after the hot shower, that she laid her head down on the pillow, wet hair and all, and closed her eyes. Just for a minute.
“Mae.” Dragan’s deep voice woke her. “Come on, you need to climb into bed.”
“I’m already in bed.”
“No, you’re not. You’re half under the covers and wrapped in a towel.” He pulled back whatever had been covering her, then stripped off the towel.
“Cold,” she complained and reached out blindly.
“Let’s go, sweet,” he said, and she’d have sworn he was laughing.
“Are you laughing at me?”
“Of course, not. Now, here, let me help you, and I’ll sing you back to sleep.” He picked her up, held her for a moment, then laid her down again and pulled blankets on top of her.
“Wait,” she said eyeing him blearily. “You can sing?”
“I kept my own company my entire childhood, and beyond. If I wanted music, I had to make it myself. So, yes, I can sing.”
She sighed and settled against the pillows. “I want you to sing,” she said, fast asleep before the last word was out.
He sang anyway, a lullaby he’d heard mothers crooning to their children when he’d been a small child himself. As he’d told Mae, there’d been no one to sing to him, so he’d sung to himself. He didn’t even know if he had a good voice. She was the first person he’d ever sung for.
When he finished, he got up to turn on the light in the bathroom and pull the door almost shut, since she didn’t like waking to complete darkness in an unfamiliar room. He stood for a moment by the bed first, watching her. He’d never loved anyone before. Not a woman, anyway. He loved his brothers and Nico, but they didn’t need his protection. Maeve did. She was tough and way too smart for most people to understand, but she’d lived a safe life. Until she’d met him.
He should feel sorry about that. But he couldn’t. Maybe it was prideful of him to think she needed him as her shield, but he needed to protect her. His heart squeezed painfully, and he thought for a moment about Grace, and Kato’s desperate need to protect her and their unborn babe. Maeve wasn’t carrying his child, but it didn’t matter. He would move heaven and hell to keep her safe. Surrender his own life without a moment’s hesitation. She was so young. Far too young to die for ancient hatreds that had nothing to do with her.
Chapter Fifteen
Pompano Beach, Florida
THE NEXT NIGHT, the entire team gathered around the conference table again, not to congratulate themselves on a job well done, as Maeve had expected, but to discuss what to do next.
Next? What the hell? What were these people, some kind of secret crimefighters? she wondered crankily. No, she reminded herself immediately, they were people who’d been tortured in the worst possible way by Sotiris, and they weren’t going to rest until he was dead, dead, dead. She cast a look around, feeling guilty for even thinking otherwise and tuned in to what Nico was saying.
He’d just finished telling the others about the penthouse break-in, and now was scanning the faces of everyone there. “Any ideas on what to do next? Maeve?”
She almost jumped in surprise. “Yes?”
“What about the lake house?”
“What about it?”
Dragan took her hand and said, “Do you think he’ll go back there, now that the penthouse is compromised?”
“Right.” She thought about it a minute. “I don’t think so,” she said honestly. “From what Nico said about how he trashed Sotiris’s workroom, he’s got to be pretty pissed.” Everyone muttered agreement, most along the lines of no shit. “Wait, I have a point. From Nico’s description, Sotiris lost a lot in that workroom. But he has even more in the lake house. Rooms full of weird stuff. Maybe some of it, or even most, isn’t magical, I don’t know. But would he risk losing all of that on top of what he lost last night?”
“I know magic,” Dragan said, from beside her, and I can tell you with certainty that what you call the lake house is full to brim with magical artifacts. I could feel them around me the whole time I was there. It might even be what kept me from running completely dry of magic while I was imprisoned in that place.”
Nico nodded thoughtfully. “Okay, so we’ll have to do something about that. But first . . . we know he has the device, and we know it’s charged. He’s going to use it somewhere. How do we figure out where?”
Maeve sat back and listened after that. This was well above her pay grade. Need someone to break into a computer? Give her enough time and she was your girl. But figure out where a pissed off psychotic sorcerer was going to go next? Nope.
Ideas were bounced back and forth, harsh words were exchanged, and apologies were offered, along with an endless supply of coffee and soft drinks. But nothing was agreed on, until Nico finally said, “You copied his computer, right, Maeve?”
“I’ve got a copy of his files,” she clarified.
“Great. You and Lili can get started on that, while the rest of us take a break. Maybe if we stop thinking about it, something will bubble up. He turned to Casey without waiting for Maeve to agree. “You and Damian still have that thing with your dad this afternoon?”
“I’m going to cancel that,” she said, shaking her head. “This is way more—”
“Nope. You’re going. The stadium’s twenty minutes from here, less the way you drive. If something comes up, you can get wherever it is as fast as we can.”
“What if it’s here we need to be?” she insisted.
“Then it’ll be good to have someone on the outside.”
“Damian?” she demanded, turning to face him.
“A man behind the enemy is a very good thing. You know that.”
“Fine. We’ll go. Happy?” She gave Nico an evil look.
“Nope. And I won’t be until this over. That’s it for now. I need to get out of this fucking chair.”
SHORTLY AFTER THAT, with just enough time to fill her water bottle, since she was sick of soda, Maeve kissed Dragan for good luck and watched as he and most of the others disappeared down the long hall to the gun range. Damian had already left with a subdued Casey, and Grace was lying on the couch, half-reading and half-dozing, which left Maeve and Lili to pursue their next line of attack. Which was apparently the computer files she’d stolen the previous night.
When she walked in, Lili was tapping her keyboard with a speed that Maeve wasn’t sure she could match. The other woman didn’t look up but she nodded and said, “Give me just a minute,” d
ragging out the last few words until she struck the final key with a flourish, and said, “Hah! That’ll teach you to try hiding money transfers from me.” She looked up with a grin. “I love this shit.”
Maeve laughed, feeling as if she’d met her missing twin. Technologically speaking, anyway. Her own looks, with her wild red hair and brown eyes, couldn’t be more different than the ethereal Lili’s.
“And now for tonight’s challenge,” Lili said, rubbing her hands together. “You copied the drive?”
“Just the files. There wasn’t enough time to do anything else. As it was, we ran out of time before I could finish the last little bit, but there should be enough to tell us something, I hope. Are these two networked?” she asked, indicating the duplicate computers.
Lili tapped a few keys. “They are now.”
Maeve nodded and inserted the first flash drive. “I have to warn you that there might not be much. I may have snooped on his computer at the other house, the one where Dragan and I met, so to speak. And there was nothing there but financial reports.” She inserted the next drive, as she raised a stalling hand. “I know, financials can tell you a lot. And it did direct us to the penthouse we visited last night, but that might be the end of it, if he doesn’t keep anything more on this one than he did on that.”
The third drive went into the slot.
“Unfortunately,” Lili agreed, “evil rarely equals stupid. I keep hoping someday an enemy will maintain a diary on his computer, with pictures and everything, and not a single digit of security.”
The Stone Warriors: Dragan Page 27