He didn’t know everything there was to know about computers, but he knew enough to do what he needed to do. If he needed something more, he’d learn how to do it. But right now, all he needed was his phone and a basic internet hookup.
“Wow, this is quite a setup.”
There was only one chair, because he was always alone. He solved that problem by pulling her down onto his lap. He took a deep breath and took a leap of faith. “How do I contact your brother-in-law?”
…
Nic was worried about Constance. She’d barely eaten in days and wasn’t sleeping. He had men from the agency he’d hired scouring Russia for any sign of Abigail, but so far, they’d turned up nothing.
Then Tarrant had heard some chatter and hacked a phone that belonged to a mercenary who worked for the Knights. There’d been talk of going to an area near the Ural Mountains, and then nothing. The phone signal was gone.
Tarrant hadn’t stopped working since they’d first lost contact with Abigail. He was video conferencing with them now in order to keep their phone lines open, but Nic had run out of patience. “I need to go to Russia.” It was the only way.
“No,” his brother told him. “That’s only giving the Knights another chance at you.”
“Why hasn’t Abigail or Vasili contacted us?” Constance asked. She had her hands wrapped around a cup of coffee. She’d done nothing but drink the stuff since her sister had gone missing.
Nic didn’t want to have to be the one to tell her that Vasili might have handed her over to the Knights. They knew barely anything about him. Even Tarrant hadn’t found much beyond some online chatter of him being a buyer and seller of artifacts, exactly what he’d told them. But nothing more. They had no idea where he lived or how to go about finding him.
He couldn’t allow the situation with Constance to remain the way it was. It would destroy her if something happened to her sister. “No, I must go to Russia.” He was reaching for his phone to order his private jet readied when it rang.
He glanced at the number. It was unknown. “I have a call coming in.”
“Tracing it,” his brother told him.
Constance was beside him in a heartbeat. He grabbed his phone and pushed the answer button. “Hello?”
“Nic, it’s me.” He released a huge sigh of relief when he heard Abigail’s voice.
“Where the hell have you been?” he demanded. Constance had been through pure torture wondering what was happening with her sister.
“You do not speak to her that way.” The voice was male and hard and belonged to Vasili Zima. He was still with Abigail. Vasili was proving to be a man of many talents.
“Are you okay?” Constance asked her sister. “Abigail?”
“I’m alive, thanks to Vasili.”
That did not sound good. Not at all. Nic glanced at the computer screen. Tarrant was still working fast and furious on the keyboard. If anyone could find them, he could.
“Tell me everything,” Nic ordered.
Chapter Sixteen
Vasili almost ended the call. He didn’t like the way Nic spoke to Abigail or the way he made demands. No one made demands of him. The only reason he didn’t was because he knew Abigail needed to connect with her sister. She had tears in her eyes but was smiling. He banded one arm around her, anchoring her to him.
He understood the pull her family had on her, but he would not let her go. She belonged to him, and he needed her more than they did.
When she hesitated, he jumped in before she shared his secret with them. They hadn’t discussed how to handle the fact he was a drakon, how much to tell her family. Another oversight on his part. He blamed the drugs and magic. He was usually logical and focused when dealing with problems.
Or maybe it was Abigail who was affecting his concentration. In the meantime, he had to handle this situation delicately.
“There is much to tell, but we need information.” His use of “we” was deliberate. It was a not-so-subtle reminder that he was the only thing standing between Abigail and the Knights.
Nic swore. “What do you need to know?”
“Everything you have on Anton Bruno. He is most likely on his way here right now.”
“And where exactly is that?” Nic asked.
“Ural Mountains,” a third voice added. “I’ve got them.”
“Tarrant is there?” He hadn’t expected that.
“Video conference.”
Before Nic could continue, Constance broke in. “Abigail, sweetheart, are you sure you’re okay?”
Tears left silvery trails down her cheeks, but Abigail nodded. “I’m fine. Vasili saved my life. Don’t worry about me. I’ll be okay.” The love the two sisters shared was palpable. He had never had siblings and didn’t quite understand the connection, but there was no mistaking the love for anything other than what it was. The two of them were devoted to one another. He could not forget that Constance had risked her life to save Abigail.
“We saved one another,” he reminded her. He didn’t want Abigail’s gratitude. He wasn’t sure he’d have found the desire, the will to fly, if he hadn’t had her to protect.
“Here’s what I know about Anton Bruno and his organization,” Tarrant began. He laid out everything he knew, including Bruno’s headquarters in Moscow, the companies he owned or had a part in, and the likely number of men he had under his employ. “I’ve also checked satellite images in your area.”
“You can do that?” he asked. Tarrant was proving to be a very resourceful man.
“There’s nothing I can’t do,” he shot back.
Vasili almost laughed at his arrogance. He should have expected nothing less from a drakon. They were all watching their words. He knew they were drakons, but they didn’t know he knew. Nor did they know he was one.
“There’s a large convoy of men moving in your direction. I’d say you have an hour or two at most,” Tarrant told them.
Constance gave a cry of shock. Abigail was pale but calm.
If there was going to be trust, it would have to start with him. Abigail had already proven she would keep his secret and protect him with her life.
“Abigail will be safe,” he promised them.
“You’re just one man,” Nic pointed out.
“No, I’m not.”
Abigail swiveled in his lap and stared up at him. She shook her head. “Don’t,” she whispered.
“I have to,” he told her. “Your sister will worry otherwise.”
“You need to stay safe,” she protested. Even now, his Abigail was trying to do everything in her power to protect him.
“What’s going on?” Nic demanded. Again with the demands. Although Nic’s frustration was only natural given the situation. As a drakon, he would want to protect his woman at all costs, and the mantle of that protection also fell to her sister. “What did you mean when you said you’re not just one man? Do you have an army?”
He laughed in spite of the seriousness of the situation. “An army, no. A drakon, yes.”
There was total silence. “If you have a drakon in captivity, I’ll kill you.” Tarrant’s threat surprised him.
Abigail made a sound of distress, and he sighed, knowing he couldn’t continue to bait the man, no matter how much he wanted to. “No, I do not have a drakon in captivity. I am one. And I know you are as well. So shall we dispense with the posturing and get down to business?”
There was dead silence. He knew he’d surprised them.
“Of course.” It was Constance who spoke first. “Abigail was attracted to the bracelet, and that’s how you found her, how you ended up together. You said it was a trap for a drakon.”
“If it was a trap, how did you not fall into it?” Nic asked, suspicion in his voice.
He couldn’t resist denting the man’s ego. “Because I’m smarter than you. Stronger.”
Abigail groaned and buried her face in his neck. Okay, maybe he shouldn’t have said that, but it was obviously the truth.
Grow
ls echoed over the line. “Enough,” Constance said. “You can all growl at each other later. Right now, we have bigger problems. The Knights are on their way to wherever you are now. You need to leave.”
He shook his head. “No, we fight and destroy them all.”
“While I normally subscribe to that train of thought,” Nic began, “you can’t risk Abigail.”
“She will be fine. I will protect her. She is mine.” He let his claim hang there in the air, knowing the men would understand it. Probably the sister, too, since she had a drakon for a mate.
There was dead silence, even from Abigail. Then she licked her lips. “What do you mean, I’m yours?”
He lost all patience. “What do you think I mean? I saved your life, gave you my blood, and brought you to my home. You are mine. My mate.” He couldn’t make things any clearer than that.
“Wow.” He heard Constance’s voice in the background but only had eyes for Abigail.
“You are mine.” It wasn’t a question, yet it was. He couldn’t keep her if she didn’t want to stay. “Don’t you want to be mine?” He’d never considered that.
Her cheeks were a fiery red, and she glanced at the phone before returning her gaze to him. “Of course, I do,” she whispered. He could have told her it made no matter, that the other drakons could hear her. But she already knew that.
It belatedly occurred to him that this was probably not the best time to be staking a claim. He probably should have left it until they were alone. But he’d needed the others to understand he would lay down his life for her.
“We will call you back once I destroy Bruno and his men.” He started to end the call.
“Wait. Please,” Nic added. Vasili bet it hurt him to be polite.
“Yes?”
“How did you avoid being trapped by the spell? And didn’t the Knights try to drug you?”
“Yes, they drugged me. And, yes, they tried to trap me with a spell. As I said, I’m smarter than they are.” Abigail frowned at him, and he relented, but only a little. Having a woman was obviously going to change things. “I’ve found a way around such things. I can’t talk now. I have to get outside and take care of the Knights.”
“You’ll come to America when it is done. Bring Abigail home.” It wasn’t a question. The only reason he didn’t snap was because it wasn’t the men asking. It was Constance.
He didn’t want to take Abigail home. Every cell in his body rebelled against taking her back to her family. What if she decided she’d rather be with them than him? What if the other drakons tried to take her from him?
“Please,” Constance pleaded. “I need to see her.”
He felt Abigail watching him, yet she asked for nothing. And he knew she wouldn’t. But if he didn’t take her home, eventually she’d leave him and find her own way there.
“I will bring her,” he promised, hoping he’d be able to make himself keep his word.
He ended the call and wrapped his arms around her. He would protect his treasure with his life. But the call had left him unsettled and in a killing mood. Thankfully, he knew just how to put that mood to good use.
…
Abigail was worried about Vasili. He made her operate the elevator this time, to ensure she knew how. All the while, he kept their hands linked together and their fingers entwined, but he was quiet on the return trip to his living quarters. Was he regretting having to share his secret with her family? He said he was hers and that she was his. What exactly did that mean? Did he want her for the rest of her human life or more? Nic wanted Constance for forever. They’d told her about their plan for her sister to drink his blood occasionally to remain young. At the time, she’d been appalled, even grossed out. Now she understood completely.
Drakon blood was incredibly powerful. It also tasted amazing, not that it really mattered. If it had been disgusting, Constance would drink it for the simple reason that it allowed her to stay with Nic. Abigail could now relate. She’d do anything to stay with Vasili.
“What’s wrong?” she finally asked when they walked into the kitchen.
He ignored her question and started giving orders. “You will stay inside while I face the Knights. I will not let them get past me.” He dragged his T-shirt over his head and tossed it aside. Her gaze was immediately drawn to his broad chest and the colorful ink spanning all of it and tailing down both his arms.
“What’s wrong?” she repeated.
He raked his fingers through his hair and gave a frustrated huff.
“Is it my family? I’m sorry you had to tell them you were a drakon.” She doubted he went around telling many people his secret.
He shook his head, caught her about the waist, and lifted her onto the island. It was higher than a regular counter, built for his greater height. He placed his hands on either side of her and leaned in close.
“You are mine.”
She wasn’t quite sure what he wanted from her. “Okay.”
He lowered his head and released another long breath. She knew she was missing something but had no idea what exactly it was.
When he raised his head, his eyes were glowing. There was no mistake this time. His eyes were pale, shimmering in the dim light of the room. His birthmark seemed more vibrant, almost alive.
“I will not let you go. Your family cannot have you back.”
Her stomach dropped. “You said you’d take me home.”
He growled, and his skin rippled, as though his dragon wanted out. “This is home. I am your home.”
She suddenly understood. Her drakon was insecure. He was afraid she was going to leave him if she went back to her family. She reached out and touched her fingers to his chest. He closed his eyes and gave a sound that was almost like a purr.
“You are my home,” she assured him. The fact that he seemed to need her so badly put their relationship on a more even keel. He was so powerful and intelligent, a practically immortal creature. And she was a human from Vegas who’d had a variety of jobs. An unlikely pair, yet they fit together as though it was destined.
He opened his eyes and stared before a slow smile tipped up the corners of his mouth.
“I’m yours for however long you want,” she assured him.
“Forever.” There was no hesitation. He leaned down and kissed her. It wasn’t gentle. It was hot and hard and very, very thorough. He took control. Holding the back of her head with one of his large hands, he tilted it so he could deepen the caress. She couldn’t breathe and didn’t care. She kissed him back, stroking his tongue, exploring the depths of his mouth.
A low buzzer sounded in the distance. Vasili yanked himself away from the kiss and swore. “I am sorry, little one, but our uninvited guests have crossed the outer perimeter. I have to go outside and meet them. Stay here.”
As much as she wanted to fight by his side, she knew she’d be nothing but a hindrance. It was a huge drawback, but one she was forced to accept. If she went outside, she’d distract him, make him vulnerable. For that reason, she’d swallow her pride and stay inside, although hiding while he fought did not sit well with her.
“You stay safe and come back to me.” The thought of him facing a veritable army on his own was scary. “Watch out for more of those drug darts. You can’t afford another hit.” What if they drugged him and she wasn’t there to remove the dart?
“If I don’t have to protect you, I can simply annihilate them all.”
Strangely enough, that calmed her somewhat. It also solidified her belief that the only reason he’d been hit with the dart before was because he’d been protecting her. “Go do what you need to do. I’ll be here waiting when you’re done.”
He dropped another quick kiss onto her mouth, took a step back, and pulled off his sweatpants. Naked, he strode toward the entrance and stepped onto the mining elevator that would take him up to the surface.
She scooted off the counter and padded over so she could watch him as the elevator rose. Then he was gone, and she was alone. There wasn�
��t even any kind of a security screen for her to watch so she could see what was going on.
Abigail began to pace. She hated this not knowing. Were the Knights here? What was Vasili doing?
How did people with spouses and loved ones in the armed forces handle the stress of not knowing? She’d always had respect for military families, but it just tripled. Knowing he was facing a squadron of men who all wanted to bring him down and capture him was making her crazy.
Maybe she should take the elevator up so she could have a peek, maybe watch his back. Although, she wasn’t quite sure how to get it to come back down now that he’d taken it to the top. While he’d shown her the lever for operating the elevator from the inside, there wasn’t any button that she could see on the outside to control it. But there had to be a way.
She took one step toward the elevator shaft before stopping herself. No, she’d promised him she’d stay inside. If she went up, he might know, and it could distract him at a crucial moment. She wasn’t about to do something stupid that would get him captured.
So she paced and glanced at her watch every few seconds. The minutes dragged on. She couldn’t hear anything down here. There was no sound of gunfire, no yells, no roars from her drakon. Nothing.
After what seemed like an eternity, she finally heard the metallic clunking of the elevator. Vasili was coming. It was over. The huge sense of relief that washed over her almost took her to her knees. In spite of his assurances, she’d been nervous. She knew firsthand just how devious and determined the Knights were. It wasn’t that she’d doubted Vasili, but she’d been through too much not to be worried.
She hurried over to the door, eager to throw herself into his arms, to reassure herself he was okay. But it wasn’t her drakon who stood in the elevator. It was the man from the clearing, the one who’d escaped before. It was Anton Bruno.
…
Bruno couldn’t believe his luck. While the dragon was busy fighting his men, he’d slipped in behind them. While he believed the creature had done away with the woman, he wanted to be sure.
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