by Jaime Rush
Purcell got to his feet and wandered through the lab. Graphs, charts, years of work to re-create Justin’s research. Once they’d begun disturbing the Deus Vis again, Purcell planted a scry orb at Brom’s house in case the old Seer got another vision. Good thing, too. It had followed Brom to Moncrief’s house, where he elaborated about his vision of doom returning and that Ruby could thwart them. Brom told Moncrief that he must prepare her to save Crescentkind. Purcell knew only one girl named Ruby, and she was supposed to be dead.
The door opened, and Darren stepped inside. “Please tell me that Ruby’s been dispensed with.”
Purcell shook his head. “The demons failed.”
“All of them?”
“They have not reported back, and driving past the dojo revealed nothing out of the ordinary. I suspect this Cyntag Valeron is the problem. He’s protecting her, probably out of duty because he killed her parents.” Purcell huffed in impatience. “He’s in the way.”
Darren settled his glasses firmly on the bridge of his nose. “So we kill him, too.”
“Clearly that won’t be easy. He is old and fierce, a former Guard Vega. Our best bet is to get the girl alone. I am unable to create another star orb just yet.” He held up his palms, still singed. “The good news is that my sources have ferreted out Valeron’s home address.”
He stroked his beard, staring at a chart. “Once we kill her and Valeron, we will have no more obstacles. The parasitic demon will make it difficult for Brom to alert anyone else, especially with only two more days left.”
“Father, since I’m the one who constructed the reactor, I’d like to keep it here so I can continue to work on it.”
“I feel better with it in my possession.”
Darren’s laugh was shaky and bitter. “Do you really think I’ll snap and destroy everything like your boy wonder did? After all the work I’ve put into it?”
At least his son had moments of assertiveness. Darren took after his mother, unfortunately. Her whininess and manipulative nature had pushed Purcell beyond his limits one day, and she met the fiery side of an orange orb. His son had married a similar harridan. Freud could no doubt explain why.
The worst part was that this harridan was a Dragon. Darren had gotten drunk and had sex with Magda. Then she’d turned up pregnant, and Darren thought he was doing the right thing by marrying her. Even after Magda lost the baby, Darren hadn’t divorced her. He’d gotten caught in the trap of wanting to please her, and fulfilling her wish to have a baby was his biggest goal. Purcell had made sure that never happened, though neither knew of his magick manipulation.
“I trust you. What I don’t trust is the ability to get more demons. Once word gets out that the ones I’ve brought here have been killed, they might not be so happy to oblige. But I have another idea, a creature I haven’t implemented in a long time.” His mouth curved in a smile. “A creature I can have some fun with.” He settled in to watch through the scry orb waiting by Cyntag’s black car.
When Cyn walked out of his room, a duffel bag thrown over his shoulder, he searched for Ruby. His Dragon sensed hers, drawing him down the short hall like a bloodhound. She was inside his cells now, permeating his blood.
He rapped on the bedroom door. “Ready? We need to get to my friend’s.”
“Almost. You can come in. If you think it’s appropriate.”
Yeah, she was miffed. That was much better than naked and in his arms.
Says you. His own thoughts this time, taunting him the way they had all through his shower.
He pushed open the door to find her sitting on the bed looking at Brom’s book. Not even glancing up at him. She thought he didn’t want her. He released a soft sigh as he watched her. You don’t know the half of it, sweetheart.
He’d never lost control with a woman before. Hell, he’d been minutes from hoisting her up, wrapping her legs around his waist, and driving into her. He had experienced lust, sure, but never this uncontrollable urge to claim her, take her…cherish her. Even worse, despite what he’d told her, those urges didn’t just come from his Dragon.
She had one leg tucked beneath her, nervously twisting her braid and making a concerted effort not to look his way. “Another page of his notes appeared.”
After being numb for so long, why did this inexperienced woman whom he could not possess have to be the one to awaken him?
Yes, he’d felt an awakening, too, when she pressed her mouth against his.
Need.
Yes, she did need him. To train. Protect.
We need her.
Cyn shut out the Dragon’s nonsense. “What does it say?” he asked, resisting the urge to lean close enough to see the text.
Her voice was somber. “He’s written our names, underlining them like he did with Justin’s work. It says I…need you.”
Cyn swayed for a second. “Who else is going to teach you the necessary survival skills?” He gestured to a sketch of two stick figures, a swirl around them. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I think…it’s us dancing.” A sense of disbelief tainted her voice. “Yeah, don’t see that happening. And here, where the stick figure that’s supposed to be you says, ‘You have spirit, Ruby. You’re going to need that.’ You said it to me, and the Dragon Prince said it to Garnet. Garnet’s father did something to cause the evil beings to overrun the castle. Just as they were about to grab her, the Dragon Prince swoops in and takes her to his castle.” She tapped the book. “Mon’s main story was based on this.”
At least there was nothing here about how her father and mother had died. “What happens in Moncrief’s story? What’s she going to need spirit for?”
She rubbed her temples. “The prince trains Garnet, Awakens her, and then they fight a monster. It kills her precious bird…like the demon killed the Elemental at the library.” That made her brow crease in a frown.
“You said Garnet kills the prince.”
“Not on purpose. He accidentally ends up in the stream of their Breath. The Dragon spell wears off. Garnet has to fight using magick, because she’s really a Deuce. She defeats the monster and saves her kingdom. It used to annoy Mon that I wanted him to bring the prince back.” She snorted. “No wonder.”
“Why did you want him back? You made it sound like he was arrogant and annoying.”
She gave him an assessing look. “In some ways, yes. But he was alluring, protective, and he loved Garnet. And despite everything, she loved him back.”
Those words trickled through his veins. “Moncrief clearly elaborated on Brom’s vision. We’ve not seen a dove. There are no castles. Dragons don’t drool or smell. So unfortunately we can’t rely on his prejudiced version.”
“Not ‘unfortunately.’ The prince dies, after all. Did Mon hate you that much?”
“We had no use for each other. Like many Deuces, he disliked Dragons in general. Given his version, he wished you were a Deuce, though he obviously loved you.” He rubbed his hand over the page of Brom’s book. “The real vision is in this.”
Before their eyes, another few words appeared: Ruby’s destiny. Also double underlined.
Cyn leaned closer. “He must have given this to Moncrief to translate for you, and he did it in the form of fairy tales. He figured if you weren’t Awakened to Dragon, he could thwart fate.”
She stared at the words. “My destiny.” She stood, searching his eyes. “What is my destiny?”
“To face a monster, hopefully in a metaphorical way. To slay the person or people who ordered your parents’ murder.”
“With you. Because I need you.”
The way she said those last words tightened his chest. He had to force his gaze to their names on the page, linked with the plus sign. “For now.”
Her expression hardened. “Don’t worry. I have no intention of clinging to you.”
“I have a prophecy for you, Ruby. You will be the one to walk away from me.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Trust me on th
is. Remember, when our Dragons are pulling toward each other, you will walk away and never look back.”
Confusion creased her face. “Because I finally get my fill of your arrogance and the way you’ve shuttered your heart and cloaked your feelings?” She studied him, the hardness in her expression gone. “I’ve seen the wild flicker in your eyes, Cyn. I know you haven’t buried your feelings completely. You don’t have to be bored and alone.” She turned away from him, tucking the book into her bag. “Just saying.”
It wasn’t his Dragon who ached at those words. He had found the perfect woman, the one who could bring his passion back to life…who had definitely brought his body back to life. And he couldn’t have her. Fucking karma. Fate. Destiny, whatever.
He glanced at his watch. “We’d better go. Grayson’s a busy man.”
She hefted her bag, following him out. “Does this Grayson work for the Guard, too?”
“He has nothing to do with the government, which suits me just fine.”
“Is he a Dragon or a Deuce?”
He led the way through the house toward the garage entrance. “Neither. He’s a Caido.”
“Mon didn’t have any Caidos in his stories.”
“He had angels, right?”
“Yeah, but he didn’t have a lot to say about them, only that they had a weapon that looked like some kind of light.”
“Legend has it that Luca, the supreme god of Lucifera, sent angels to police the situation after the gods became physical. They became physical, too. I imagine it was hard to resist temptation with gods partaking of carnal pleasures all around them. The angel/human offspring are called Caidos, which is ‘fallen’ in Spanish. They tend to keep to themselves for good reason.” As she started to open her mouth to no doubt ask why, he added, “Which I will not divulge.”
“Not even later?”
“Not even then.”
“Do they have wings?”
“Sort of. Like our tattoo that becomes Dragon, their tattoo becomes wings. Not feathers though. More like energy.”
She shook her head, her eyes wide. He enjoyed her reactions. Everything was old to him, but it was new to her, whether beautiful or terrifying. “What you do need to know before you meet Grayson is that he’s a very old and powerful Caido, so don’t piss him off.”
“Now why would I go and do that?”
He raised his eyebrows. “You have a way about you.”
She narrowed her eyes at him, probably ready to say something acerbic. But she may have remembered some of the things she’d done, because she only said, “I promise I won’t hold a gun to his chest.”
“That’s a start.” They walked into the garage, and he popped the trunk, then took her bag and set it inside. “Not that you’d survive a second after that. The only reason I didn’t wipe you was because I knew who you were.”
“Awfully nice of you.” The sarcasm melted away. “Though now that I know what you are, I feel quite lucky.” She meant it.
“Caidos are also sensitive to emotions, so try to keep yours tamped down. The emotional Dragons—Citrines and Carnelians—are particularly troublesome, and you, Ruby, are a Carnelian. And don’t get caught up in the Thrall.”
“The Thrall?”
“People get mesmerized just looking at them.”
She leaned against the passenger side of his car. “So I should restrain myself from drooling, as Dragons are apt to do.”
He laughed, because damn it, she had a way of making him laugh like no one else. “Yes, please.” His humor died quickly. “There’s one more thing you should know about Grayson. He doesn’t like Dragon women.”
“Why not?”
“A female Dragon captured and tortured him for years. I think the experience warped him.”
“Oh, goody. Some guy who can probably incinerate me with a look.” She gestured to her clothing. “But I’m the least seductive person around. Well, not the least certainly, but still.”
He got in the car and, when she got in, said, “Don’t underestimate your seductiveness, Ruby.” She had other effects on him, too, besides making him laugh. A deep wanting. Throbbing ache. Effects he also hadn’t experienced in decades. Or longer. He tended to lose track.
She closed her door. “He tolerates you then? I mean, not because you’re…intolerable or anything. Well, you can be. But you being a Dragon and all.”
He simply smirked at her and backed out of the garage. Once he’d closed the door, he sensed their surroundings. “There’s magick in the air.”
“Oh, now you’re being romantic?”
“Not that kind of magic.” He got out of the car and fought the urge to Catalyze. Even though his yard appeared private, he couldn’t take a chance that some Mundane gardener was trimming bushes or that someone on a boat was out there with binoculars.
He saw the orb skitter across a branch just as Ruby, who’d gotten out of the car as well, said, “Are you hunting bugs again?”
“Scry orb.” His Dragon led him to a large banyan tree at the corner of the property.
“That’s what you killed in the back of my truck, right? The spy orb?”
“Exactly. Which means Smith has found my home.”
“Oh, great.”
He climbed the tree from the back side and spotted the orb perched on a branch. He needed to grab it before it flew away and would then follow them. Obviously sensing his magick, it crept down one of the many roots that grew from the branch back to the ground. Cyn reached down and snatched it, crushing it in his hand with both force and magick. “Let’s go, before he shows up to pay us a visit.”
Thirty minutes later, Cyn pulled into a guest parking spot at the Raphael high-rise. Ruby pulled her long braid over her shoulder and stroked the length of it as she looked at the sign. “Hah. The Raphael. I get it. So, what are we seeing this guy about?”
“Grayson is going to take you back in your memories to the night your father went on the run. Maybe you heard something that might help us.”
Cyn had only told Grayson that he didn’t want Ruby to go any farther than the moment of impact. He didn’t want to take a chance that she’d seen him and buried the memory. He wasn’t ready for her to leave him yet.
Because you want her.
I don’t want her out there alone.
“Cyntag Valeron to see Grayson Winters.” He showed his ID.
The man checked his screen and gave him a nod. “He’s expecting you. Go on up.”
The elevator automatically took them to the twenty-first floor. The mirrored walls reflected Ruby to infinity, the back of her braid trailing down to the top of her waistband, her shirt not quite meeting it to reveal a slice of her skin. Her gaze met his in one of those reflections, jolting his heartbeat. He was glad the door slid open at that moment.
Grayson was already waiting, filling the doorway with his muscular bulk.
“Good to see you, my friend. I appreciate you doing this.” Cyn made the introductions.
Grayson gave Ruby a nod. “Would you like a drink or should we get right to it?”
“Let’s get right to it,” Ruby said, rubbing her hands together in what Cyn thought was a nervous gesture.
Grayson motioned for her to sit on the leather couch and then sat across from her on the thick glass coffee table. “I’ll need to put my hand on you to establish a connection.”
Ruby nodded, her gaze on Grayson. “You can touch me,” she said in a soft, inviting voice. Her head tilted, and her mouth curved in a smile. “Your eyes are beautiful, with little sparks like frost.”
Even his tough little Ruby wasn’t immune to the Thrall. Well, not his Ruby.
Cyn’s Dragon clawed at his skin. Mine. Its tail swished down the center of his back.
Back off. Not ours.
Grayson’s big hands rested on Ruby’s shoulders. “That’s right, just relax.” He turned to Cyn. “Dial back the territorial feelings.”
Ruby blinked, coming out of the spell. “You can pick up his feelings? Ter
ritorial feelings?”
“Surely Cyn told you about the whole Dragon-beast territorial thing, especially considering what I’m picking up between the two of you.”
Cyn kept his expression neutral. “I’m her protector and teacher, nothing more.”
Ruby hitched her thumb toward Cyn. “What he said.”
Grayson took in their earnest expressions and shrugged. “Look, you don’t have to pretend around me. I pick up feelings; I don’t judge them.” Grayson focused on Ruby again. “Go back to the memory you want to explore. I’ll be there, but try not to pay attention to me. It’ll yank us out of the memory.”
Ruby sank against the back of the leather couch as her eyes closed. She was tough on the outside, but Cyn sensed something could shatter her protective shell and crumble her. He drew closer and watched as Grayson put her into a hypnotic state. What exactly was Grayson picking up from him? What Cyn felt for Ruby was foreign, like the rash she had described, an itch somewhere deep inside him.
“Daddy, what’s going on?” she asked in a little girl’s voice. She listened, as he must have given her some explanation for their last-minute trip.
“Who’s he on the phone with?” Grayson asked in a soft voice a minute later.
“Darren, his lab partner. We go to their house a lot. They sometimes have me over so my parents can go out on a date.” Ruby smiled. “Magda, his wife, says I’m her surrogate daughter. She pretends I’m her daughter sometimes.”
Cyn moved closer yet, eyeing Ruby’s tensed hand on the couch. He had an insane desire to hold it. Resist.
Ruby frowned. “But Daddy’s wigging out, telling Darren, ‘Brom was right. What we’re doing is dangerous. I’ve destroyed everything. I’m taking my family and leaving.’ I can hear Darren yelling, but I can’t hear what he’s saying. Then my mom’s taking me down into the cabin, telling me it doesn’t concern me.”