by Eliza Gayle
“Why don’t you show her that teeny tiny dragen thing? It’s weird, but effective. Maybe she wants a doll sized dragen.”
Jami nearly jumped out of his arms at the sound of Mac’s booming voice through the hotel door. “Holy crap. Are they spying on us?”
Drago frowned. He was still stuck on the cryptic words of the wolfen waiting in the hallway. “Are you making some sort of American joke that only you understand? I do not understand.”
He looked back to Jami. “They can not help but overhear us. Shiften have exceptional senses, well above a human. Hearing especially.”
She frowned up at him and he could see that words were never going to convince her. He also couldn’t risk attempting to shift in her presence.
“Bring your mate back in. We are going to have to show her.”
The door opened and both Mac and Rogue strode through. At the sight of the other male, part of Drago wanted to go after him. The wolfen had no business spending time around Jami. His mate. His responsibility.
“Like I said, just do the baby sized dragen thing and call it a night. I doubt she’d be traumatized by a shiften the size of a dragonfly.”
Annoyance surged through Drago. “Could you stop making jokes and take this seriously? I need you to show my mate your wolfen so she can believe that what we are saying is true.”
Mac stood still just staring at him as if trying to solve a puzzle. It unnerved Drago to be under such scrutiny.
“You really don’t know what I’m talking about?” Mac asked.
Drago shook his head. “Unlike you, I do not tell the jokes.”
Mac barked out a laugh. “Dude, you need to chill. But wow. You can’t shift into a dragen about this big? Mac held out his hands just a few inches apart.
“What the hell kind of shiften would be that size? Talk about useless. But to answer your question, no. My dragen will not fit in this hotel suite so it is not safe. Are you going to help me or not?”
Rogue chose that moment to speak up. “We should have called Graeme. He would know how to handle this. In fact, I’m going outside to try and reach him now.”
Rogue did not wait for either man to respond. She disappeared through the door before either of them could stop her.
“She always like that?” Drago asked.
“Like what?” The other male’s voice rose and Drago recognized he was on shaky ground if he said anything insulting about the woman. Not that he'd intended to.
"Take charge. She seems to be on the ball, as you say. I could use someone like her in my organization. Is she looking for a career change?"
"She won't be coming to work for you, dragen. She's too independent for the likes of you."
Drago forced the smart-ass rebuttal sitting on his tongue to stay where it sat. He liked poking at the wolfen, but even he knew better than to do so over a mate. Besides, the resulting fight would lead to a shift and without total control he couldn't guarantee a fair fight.
"About this Graeme," he started. "I am certain I do not want to meet him."
Mac raised his eyebrows. "Well, you might have to if you want her to believe. It's no surprise she wants proof. They all do. I guess we could go somewhere there would be enough room and privacy for you to do the big boy dragen thing."
Drago clenched his teeth. "Is everything a joke to you?"
The other man shrugged. "It can be. If you take everything too seriously then you'll likely explode someday. Am I right?"
"What about you, Mac?" Jami asked. "You said you were shiften too. Can you prove it?"
Mac grinned at her and Drago wanted to throttle him. Smug bastard.
"Sure, I can. Although I can't promise how lover boy over there will take it. Shiften are possessive creatures and they don't particularly care for males getting too close to their mates."
"I think I can handle one little wolfen. If we end up fighting at least it will be a fair one."
"Are dragens that much stronger than wolven?" she asked.
"By sheer size only," Mac offered. "He isn't much bigger than me in his human form, but a full size dragen is as big as you are probably imagining. And there is the pesky detail of the fire-breathing thing. I'll admit that is a tactical advantage. He can engage in a full blown attack without getting too close."
Jami's eyes widened and he couldn't pinpoint which part of Mac's little story worried her. The fire breathing if he had to guess.
"I don't think I want to talk about this anymore," she said. "I'm ready to go home."
He and Mac gave each other a knowing look before they both turned to her. "That apartment is not safe for you. You need to stay here."
Jami immediately rolled her eyes causing Mac to laugh again. Heat stirred inside him as the sound vibrated through his bones. And it wasn't the sexy kind of heat he got from having Jami in his arms. Nope. This was tread-carefully-or-you'll-end-up-destroying-your-hotel-and-Jami's-trust-all-at-once kind of heat.
"I can take care of myself. All I want to do is get some sleep."
Drago scented the lie the moment the words left her lips. He didn't know what she was up to, but there was no way in hell he would let her out of his sight right now. He'd camp outside that dirty apartment building if he had to. Hopefully, his persuasive skills served him better than that. He did not relish that idea.
"You can sleep here. No one will disturb you, I vow it. Besides, you haven't yet had the meal I promised you and a meal would do you good."
She started to open her mouth, with a lengthy objection he was sure. "Wait. How about a compromise? You stay for dinner and if after you have eaten you still wish to return home, I will take you there myself."
"And if I say no?"
"You will not. I know you are still curious about all of this and the food here is excellent. Why not take this opportunity to enjoy it while still grilling me for the information you seek?"
"You are slick," Mac mouthed over Jami's head.
He merely lifted a brow at the other man. He was getting tired of an audience. He wanted to spend more time alone with Jami Raye. She had secrets tucked in that pretty head of hers and he was curious about them now.
"Will you answer my questions truthfully?"
Before he could answer, Jami's cell phone rang. She dug into her back pocket and pulled it free. Staring down at the screen, a few colorful words flew from her mouth.
Mac lifted his eyebrows and looked at Drago. He ignored him. If nothing else, he was done screwing around with the wolfen.
Jami walked to the far corner of the room and placed the phone to her ear. While she spoke low, Drago heard every word as clearly as if the phone were pressed to his ear.
There was a female on the line and she sounded distraught.
"Calm down. It's going to be okay. I can help." Jami's voice softened, as she continued to the conversation.
From the continued ramblings on the other end, Drago surmised that she had to be one of Jami's clients and she was either drunk or high or both.
"Can you make it to the rec center? I could meet you there in about thirty minutes."
When the woman insisted that Jami had to come get her, the fine hair on the back of Drago's neck began to itch.
"Where exactly are you then? Can you text me an address?"
The woman she spoke to dissolved into incoherent tears. Jami waved to him and moved her hand back and forth in a scribbling motion, indicating she needed a pen. He grabbed one from the desk along with the pad of paper the hotel provided.
He handed over the items. "Connie, you have to calm down. I can't understand what you are saying. Tell me where you are and I'll come and get you."
Jami scribbled down the address the woman gave her, although he wasn't sure he understood the slurred words.
"I'll be there as quick as I can." A moment later Jami disconnected the call and stuffed the phone back into her pocket. "I'm going to have to take a raincheck on dinner. Duty calls."
"This late?" Drago asked, not liking this sce
nario one bit. "Tell me where this woman is and I will make sure someone picks her up and brings her to you."
She shook her head. "No. Connie will never go with a stranger."
Mac snorted. "She's strung out, Jami. She'll go with whomever promises her a fresh high."
Jami stilled. "You think I don't know how to handle this situation? Yes, she's an addict and yes, she will get high again. But right this minute she's in the throes of a paranoia fueled anxiety attack. That makes her dangerous to herself and I'm not sending someone else to fetch her. I’ve lost enough people this week. I'll handle this."
"No!" Drago stepped in front of her, blocking her way to the exit. “You cannot go.”
Jami glared at him as heat flared in her eyes. That anger directed at him felt surprisingly good. It wasn’t often someone looked at him like that. Not even when he’d just completed a hostile takeover. Humans in general feared him whether they understood why or not. He went to great lengths and a lot of pain to hide his shiften abilities.
“You can’t tell me what to do. Get out of the way and let me go do my job.”
“I can and I will direct you when it is for your own good. It is not safe out there for you.”
She rolled her eyes at him again and this time he did not find it amusing.
“This had better not be about that mate thing you keep claiming. I’ve yet to see a shred of proof that you aren’t just crazier than I am. Either way, you need to learn right now that I will not be dictated to. Not now or ever. Now, I am leaving whether you like it or not.”
"Jami, he’s right. It's too dangerous out there for you. There's far more we haven’t gotten into yet,” Mac said.
She turned and glared at him too, her nostrils flaring wide. Drago hated to admit it, but that fire inside her turned him on. So much so that he didn’t want her to stop. Her defiance felt glorious.
Mac continued. “If you haven’t yet wondered why there is a prophecy about half human women born as one true mates, you should. There are beings that sometimes roam this world who are pure evil. They’d like nothing better than to kill you.”
“That’s not shocking news. I see evil every day on the news. At my job. And sometimes just walking down the street. I’ve even felt it follow me home. I won’t lie. Sometimes that scares the bejesus out of me. But I won’t let that fear rule my life. I made a commitment to each and every one of my clients and I'll honor that no matter what.”
Something dark and ugly twisted in Drago’s chest. He’d experienced anger and violence more times than he’d like to count. But for the first time in his life it was so dark it threatened to blindly consume him. His usual heat increased, going beyond his normal levels and straight into red, glowing fire.
“Drago, what the hell is happening? What are you doing?”
He barely heard Mac’s questions. His mind had zeroed in on Jami’s terrifying words.
“Someone follows you home? When? Who? What happens?” He fired the questions at her so rapidly she took a startled step back. The anger on her face morphed into fear and moisture gathered around her eyes.
“Drago!” Mac screamed at him at the same time he lunged.
A fierce roar burst from Drago’s mouth as he easily swatted the wolfen down.
“Tell me!” His garbled demand came out on a blast of heat he could no longer control. He could feel the shift coming and felt helpless to stop it.
“Drago, stop this.” He turned to look at Mac who stood next to Jami, looking ready to place himself between her and his fire if necessary. “You're scaring her and you're about to burn down the whole room.”
He glanced quickly to see the desk on fire, as well as the curtains at the window and smoke billowing from the bathroom.
“You really are a dragen?” she asked, fear fading and wonder replacing it.
Unfortunately, he couldn’t seem to wrestle it under control. She stepped toward him and he backed away, horrified that he could hurt her. “Don’t come near me.”
She didn’t listen as she advanced closer. When she reached out and touched him he froze in place.
“Maxim Drago, you are going to have to find a way to understand that I will not blindly follow orders from you.”
“You should,” he whispered. “I couldn’t bear it if I accidentally hurt you.”
“Then make it stop,” Mac said.
He shook his head. “You don’t understand. I can’t control it like that.”
“Why the hell not?” the other man demanded.
“I am only half dragen and that side of me refuses to be controlled once provoked.”
“That’s insane. There has to be a way to stop it.” He turned to different parts of the room searching for something. “Don’t these fancy suites have a fire extinguisher?”
Drago ignored Mac’s rambling. Instead he closed his eyes and focused on the inner turmoil that wanted him to unleash all the violence he kept pent up.
Before he could find any focus or answer Mac, the shrill sound of the fire alarm system filled the room.
Shit.
The door burst open and Rogue rushed through. “What the hell is going on in here? The hallway is filled with smoke.”
“Apparently the dragen boy here can’t control his shift and he’s about to burn down this entire hotel.”
“Shit. Graeme is still ten minutes out.”
“Not sure he can help this,” Mac bit out. “Better get Wade on the phone. We’re about to have some major issues.”
“Oh boy. Wade and Trevor are going to blow their lids over this one. Can we get him out of here?”
Mac shrugged. “Maybe. But we’ve got to get these fires out.”
Rogue grabbed the fire extinguisher her mate had located at some point and ran through the suite.
Drago stared at the window. If he timed it right he might be able to get out that way. At least save the building. With a plan formulating, he whipped off his shirt and turned to Mac.
“You get, Jami out of here first. She has to be the priority.”
Mac nodded. “No problem. Now go.”
Drago walked to the balcony door, shoved it open and allowed the heat inside him to grow instead of trying to stifle it. He was high enough from the ground to make the shift on his way down as long as he timed it right.
If this didn’t work, they were going to have a mess to clean up.
He climbed over the ledge and looked back at Mac who stood nearby watching over him. Rogue approached him and bent close, as if to whisper in his ear. Why, he had no idea. He would hear every word.
He turned away, prepared to make the jump. Drago closed his eyes, called the dragen and let go.
At which point Rogue asked a question that made his blood go cold.
“Where did Jami go?”
Chapter Nine
Jami shoved her way through the lobby at a near sprint. In the midst of the chaos upstairs, she’d made the choice to run while she could. Although the further she got away from Drago, the more she wanted to throw up. Leaving him like that had been unfair, but he’d also made it clear that he wasn’t going to let her go.
And the whole fiery dragen thing was totally freaking her out. She’d seen him start to look different with her own eyes and still couldn’t wrap her head around it.
She ran for the first cab she could find outside and hopped in, giving the driver the address before she even got the door closed. The insanity back in Drago’s room had delayed her exit and Connie had been waiting. Addicts weren’t very good at waiting, especially when they were strung out.
She hoped she wasn’t too late. After last night she couldn’t handle losing another person. Jami rubbed the side of her head to ease the beginnings of a major headache. Talk about overload.
The tiny bit of improvement she’d gained from her quick nap was fading fast. Fortunately for her, the address Connie had texted her had been fairly close to Drago’s hotel. Within ten minutes of leaving, the cab pulled up to an apartment building and st
opped.
Jami looked out the window and shuddered. Not the best part of town and not unlike her own rundown building. She didn’t remember Connie saying anything about whether she was at home or someone else’s place. She’d been too hysterical to make much sense.
She threw the last of her cash at the driver and sprinted to the building. Unlike her place, this building did not have a locked exterior door so she was able to walk right in and make her way to the second floor apartment with no problems.
As she knocked on the door she had a moment of hesitation about what she might be walking into. Just last night she’d been convinced someone had followed her home. Now she had that same bad feeling again and she couldn’t shake it.
Except this time she had more at stake. Connie clearly needed her help and under the circumstances she would not back down from this. Whatever it took.
When no one opened the door she rapped on it again, this time harder than before. “Connie, it’s me Jami. Open up so I know you're okay."
Complete and total silence followed her request. She blew out a frustrated breath and pulled out her phone to make sure she had the right apartment. Assured this was the correct one, she pounded on the door as hard as she could.
“Connie, are you in there?” she called out, her unease growing with every passing second. What if she was too late?
Fortunately, she didn’t have to torture herself with worst case scenarios for long before the locks were undone and the door creaked open.
“What do you want?”
Jami fought to not step back from the tall, blond and broad man now filling the door frame.”
“I’m looking for Connie. She texted me this address and told me to come get her.”
The man did not look happy, but after a moment of hesitation, he opened the door wider. “C’mon in. She’s in the back, been waiting for you.”
She took a deep breath before stepping across the threshold. “Sorry about that. I was in the midst of something pretty crazy and had to wait for the right time to leave.”
“You can go down there to the end of the hall. Last door on the right. I was trying to get her to sleep off some of whatever it was she took. She’s pretty messed up.”