by Donna Grant
He grunted. “Why not?”
“We’d smell it. That’s not nice.”
“Where are you going to pee?”
It wasn’t something she’d thought about until he mentioned it. And then, suddenly, she really had to go. She swallowed, intending to ignore the call of nature for as long as she could.
“Bina?” her brother pressed.
She threw up her hands as she peered out into the dark tunnel. The light V had conjured was gone, and it wasn’t like she could grab a stick to light her way.
“I don’t know,” she answered.
Camlo blew out a loud breath and shoved past her. As he did, he pulled her mobile phone from the pocket of her coat and turned on the flashlight.
“Well. Don’t I feel dumb,” she murmured.
Camlo grinned at her. “You should.”
She shoved at his shoulder as he turned to the left. The tunnel hadn’t been an easy trek to the cavern as it wound this way and that, and she wasn’t keen on her brother getting lost. So she started after him.
Camlo halted and turned, shining the light directly into her eyes so she had to raise her hand to block it.
“Camlo,” she growled in irritation.
“I don’t need you to watch me pee,” he stated.
She spun around and threw up her hands. “Fine. Go.”
When he stomped away, she used her hands to find somewhere she could relieve her bladder. As soon as she discovered a small room, she hurried inside and yanked down her pants.
There were times that her brother did act like a toddler, but those times didn’t happen too often. But since V and Roman showed up, it was like he was attempting to act like a grown man.
It was sweet. And sad. She wished her brother had the mental capacity to be self-sufficient. He certainly wouldn’t be at the house with her taking care of animals if he did. He’d find himself someone to love and be off living his life as he should.
Tears stung her eyes, knowing that Camlo would never have such things. She wiped away a stray tear and sniffed as she pulled herself together and stumbled her way back to the tunnel to wait for him. She didn’t like to cry, and she certainly didn’t do it in front of Camlo. It upset him, and it wasn’t as if she could tell him that he was the reason she cried. It would destroy him.
Sabina dropped her arms and moved closer to the entry into the cavern. The red-orange glow coming from within made it easy to see. She looked around the corner to find Roman and V still engrossed in their mental conversations.
She looked over her shoulder to where Camlo had disappeared but only saw a wall of black. He should’ve returned by now. She faced the darkness and listened for him. In the next heartbeat, Camlo screamed her name, the sound full of terror.
“I’m coming!” she shouted and started forward, only to slam her leg against a rock.
She doubled over, pain shooting up the limb as she held her shin with one hand and put her other out in front of her so she wouldn’t run into anything.
“Sabina,” Roman said as his arm wrapped around her.
She sagged against him, fear surging through her. “Camlo.”
“Take care of her,” V said as he rushed past them. “I’ve got Camlo.”
“Bina! Bina, help!” Camlo shouted.
She tried to follow V. “I’m coming!”
“Hold on,” Roman told her. In the next instant, another ball of light zoomed above them.
Roman then took her hand and led the way. She limped after him, the pain barely registering as she tried to reach her brother. He kept screaming her name, and the longer it took to reach him, the more frightened she became.
They finally found Camlo in another cavern that was so large, a city could fit into it. The light above them rose higher, giving her a meager glimpse of the size of the place.
V was with Camlo, who had squatted down near the middle of the cavern. He had his hands over his ears as he rocked back and forth. No matter how hard V tried to talk to him, it seemed to make things worse.
“I’m here,” Sabina said as she knelt next to her brother. “I’m right here.”
He threw himself at her, knocking her over. She never loosened her hold on him, despite the fact that he was holding her so tightly that it was difficult to breathe.
“You’re okay now. We’re here,” she said.
He buried his head in her neck and whimpered. She rubbed her hands up and down his back to soothe him. V stood next to them, but Roman walked away to investigate the area.
“What was he doing in here?” V asked her.
She kissed the side of her brother’s head. “He needed to go to the bathroom.”
“Oh,” V mumbled and turned to see what Roman was doing.
Finally, Camlo eased his grip on her. Sabina took a deep breath. Then she asked, “Want to talk about what happened?”
He shook his head.
“Camlo, we need to know what scared you,” she pushed.
Roman turned to look at her. “I think I might have figured it out.”
“No,” Camlo said as he jumped up and ran for the opening. “No. No. Nononononono.”
Sabina sat up, but V was already after him.
“V will get Camlo safely back to the cavern,” Roman said.
She hesitated, wondering if she should go after her brother. But he didn’t call for her. Sabina decided to stay and see what Roman had found. Plus, it was good for Camlo to be around other people.
After climbing to her feet and brushing herself off, Sabina made her way to Roman. “What did you find?”
“This,” he said.
She glanced from his perturbed face to the wall. At first, she didn’t see anything. She shifted positions, hoping that would help, and it did because the ball of light hovered above her. But she couldn’t make out what she was looking at.
“What is it?” she asked.
Roman put his hands on his hips and turned to look at another wall. “Fae.”
“Fae?” Sabina moved closer to get another look at the design. It didn’t appear to be writing, but since she had no idea what Fae writing looked like, it could very well be that.
Behind her, Roman let out a sigh. “And Druid.”
She whirled around. “I can’t see much.”
“Sorry,” he said with a shrug. “Dragons can see as well at night as in the daytime.”
“Oh, lucky you,” she teased, trying to lighten the mood.
He grinned, but it was gone in the next second. The ball of light above her grew brighter, and then he said, “Four walls. Each one has evidence of Light Fae, Dark Fae, mie and drough.”
“You’re saying that the group we’ve been talking about met here? In this cave?” She wrapped her arms around herself and looked at the walls, trying to determine which was which.
He lifted a brow and shrugged again.
She let out a snort. “That’s rather hard to believe. What are the chances we’d come to this particular cave?”
“There’s quite a lot that doesna make sense. This is just added to the pile.”
Sabina looked at the walls, wishing she could read them. Then she paused. “If I couldn’t see them, then Camlo couldn’t have either. If that’s the case, then what scared him?”
Roman bent and picked up her phone. As soon as he did, the light shone on the wall where there was a drawing of a dragon with a sword plunged through its heart.
“What the hell?” she asked and moved closer. “Is this Fae or Druid?”
“Neither,” Roman answered. “This is simply a drawing. There are others between the writing.”
She briefly closed her eyes and drew in a steadying breath before she faced him. “What do the writings say?”
He rubbed his chin, anger and agitation flashing in his eyes. Roman pointed to the left. “That writing simply says Dark Fae.” He then pointed behind him. “That says mie.”
“That’s the bad Druids?” she asked.
“Good ones.”
&nb
sp; She gave a nod. “Right. Go on.”
He pointed to the right. “That one says Light Fae.”
Sabina looked to the wall before Roman. “And that one says drough?”
“Aye,” he said, his lips twisting.
“Why? Did they want to make sure you figured it out? It’s almost like they’re taunting you.”
He glared at the walls. “That’s exactly what they’re doing.”
“That’s assuming they knew you would be here.”
“Oh, I think they were counting on it. For all I know, they wanted us to find it thousands of years ago.”
She shifted, the sound of her jacket rubbing together loud in the silence. “And the other pictures?”
As if on cue, the light moved to where Roman pointed. “This one is the wooden dragon found beneath the White on Fair Isle. That,” he said shifting slightly, “is V’s sword being stolen.”
She looked in the direction where Roman had said was the drawing of a dragon with the sword through it. “The first two you know happened. What about this one?”
He released a long breath, his eyes sad. “That’s V’s sword.”
“Who did he kill?”
“This one hasn’t happened yet.”
She glanced at him as she moved closer to the wall, needing to see the drawing better. “How do you know?”
When he didn’t answer, she walked to him and took her mobile so she could shine the light on the drawing. She didn’t need to see the dragon in color to recognize that it was Roman.
Her head whipped around to him. “This can’t be right.”
He swallowed, his shoulders drooping. “The other two happened.”
“What of the last drawing?” she asked, walking to where it was. “Has this happened?”
Her words died when the flashlight on her phone shone on the gruesome drawing of dead dragons on the ground. She wanted to look away, but she couldn’t. How did this group know all of this would happen?
And then the answer was easy. They instigated it.
She slowly turned to Roman. “They knew you would be here with V.”
“They were counting on it, it seems. They put this here, on my land.”
“That means they had to know that Con would send you.”
He let out a dry laugh. “That means they know my power. That means this group knows all about the Dragon Kings.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
The way Sabina’s dark eyes filled with compassion nearly broke the tenuous hold Roman had on his anger. He turned away from the drawing, but the others were there, waiting for him.
Roman squeezed his eyes shut and ran a hand down his face. He knew in his gut that he had to inform not just Con but also all the Dragon Kings. They needed to know this new development. And he hated that it was coming right on the heels of Con’s announcement about the weapon.
Who the fuck took the weapon? It had to be someone extremely powerful to not only get through Con’s magic, but also leave it intact. There was something Roman was missing, but his mind was too filled with the drawings in the cave to focus as he should.
“Should I get V? He probably needs to see this,” Sabina offered. “And I’m sure the two of you will want to talk.”
Roman opened his eyes and looked at her. She was remarkably calm. Then again, she had no idea the kind of mess she’d been dragged into. Because she had been drawn, unwittingly.
The quicker he could get her safely back home, the better. For everyone.
“I’ll show V later. We need to find the sword,” he said.
She glanced at the drawing where V’s weapon was embedded in Roman’s heart. “Can you hear it?”
Roman rubbed his temple as he sighed. Damn. He needed to get his shit together. “I intended to try, but then I had to get you and Camlo out of the weather.”
“Your magic was protecting us,” she interjected.
He shrugged, not bothering to comment. “Before I could get everyone settled, we received a … message from Con.”
Sabina’s head tilted to the side, her deep brown waves moving with her. “I take it the message wasn’t good?”
“No’ in the least.”
“Is there anything I can do?”
He grinned despite the situation. “I wish you could.”
“Well, I’m not here simply for you to keep warm,” she replied with a smile.
Suddenly, an image of them naked, their bodies pressed together as he kissed her passionately as the warm glow of the fire flickered over them filled his head. He grew instantly, achingly hard for her.
As if sensing his thoughts, her smile faded as she stared at him. Everything would’ve been fine had the longing and curiosity not filled her dark eyes. It was his undoing.
With one stride, Roman was before her. He lifted a lock of hair. The curl was cold and silky against his finger before he let it fall from his grasp.
Unable to stop himself, he ran the backs of his knuckles over her cheek before letting his arm fall to his side. They were in a dangerous situation and had no clue what awaited them. Yet Sabina stood with her back straight and chin lifted, almost daring him to touch her.
It was no wonder she and Camlo had survived so thoroughly. Sabina was a force to be reckoned with. But what made her even more special was that she had no idea. She simply knew what had to get done and did it without complaint.
“Does anything scare you?” he asked in a whisper.
Her lips flashed him a quick grin. “I seem to recall a certain panic attack when you wanted me to ride you here.”
In his mind, her ride took on an entirely different meaning. His balls tightened, and his blood heated and rushed through him so quickly that he felt it scorching his body. “That’s no’ what I meant.”
“I know what you meant,” she replied, never taking her gaze from his. “Everything scares me. But why worry about something I have no control over?”
“Hm,” he said and found himself leaning toward her. “That’s a good attitude.”
She lifted one shoulder in a nonchalant shrug, her body leaning toward his. “Some might claim that I’m burying my head in the sand. I don’t do that. I face what comes my way.”
“No one could ever accuse you of burying your head, lass.”
At the endearment, he heard her pulse quicken. He wished he hadn’t noticed because now he knew he would make sure to call her that every chance he got.
He stilled when her fingers touched his. It wasn’t an accident, but an intentional movement. And it went through him like dragon fire.
She shifted closer. “You make me feel as if I can do anything.”
“You can.”
“I’m not sure,” she whispered.
They were so close now that with just a small tilt of his head, he could claim her lips. Her finger hooked around one of his, anchoring them together.
It was exactly what he needed. She rooted him not just to the land but also to her. The last thing he should do was muddy the waters by kissing her, but he couldn’t think of doing anything else.
His free hand snaked around her and rested on her lower back, pulling her the last inch that separated them. Her eyes filled with desire as she lifted her face to him.
“Please kiss me before I melt into a puddle,” she urged in a voice filled with yearning.
His mind cleared of everything but Sabina. He heard her heart beating rapidly as well as the quickening of her breath. He smelled the wind that clung to her hair and skin. He saw the softening of her lips as they parted, anticipating his mouth.
No longer could he wait to learn the taste of such an exquisite creature. She was an anomaly, a rare mortal that no one could come close to in matching beauty, talent, or heart.
“Please,” she whispered.
“Och, lass. You ask for something I’ve wanted to give you since I first saw you.”
She swallowed and rested her free hand upon his chest. “What stops you?”
“Knowing that once
I claim those beautiful lips of yours, I’ll never stop.”
A shiver went through her, and she melted against him. Her palm flattened and shifted up his chest to his shoulder, then his neck, then his jaw, to finally come to rest against his cheek.
Desire crackled between them. Hunger, intense and demanding, had its claws buried deeply within both of them. But it felt so good.
His head lowered, and her eyes slid closed. He stopped just short of touching her lips. She held her breath, waiting for him, her fingers now gripping his shoulder.
Roman put that image to memory and closed his eyes as his mouth found hers. She let out a rush of breath and moaned softly. For Roman, a kiss was more intimate than sex itself. You could taste a person’s soul, hear their thoughts. See their dreams, their wants.
Their desires.
He spread his hand on Sabina’s back and held her against him, needing her close. His lips moved over hers softly, teasing and learning. Every sound, every movement, every touch let him discover more about her.
And just as he suspected, he needed more. So much more.
He took her top lip between his and ran his tongue along it. She jerked before sighing. Then she slid her tongue along his lower lip.
It was his turn to moan. His cock was so hard that it throbbed. He wrapped both arms around her and kissed her, slipping his tongue past her lips to dance with hers. She leaned into him, her hand clinging to him as she gave herself up to him. He deepened the kiss, letting the fiery craving envelop them both.
He couldn’t wait to strip her and lick every inch of her body. It was too bad they weren’t in a more comfortable place. As soon as that thought went through his mind, he remembered where they were.
And why they were there.
Roman ended the kiss and lifted his head to look at Sabina. Her lips were wet and swollen from his kisses, her eyes glazed with desire. If she looked this tempting after one kiss, she’d have him on his knees when he finally got to see her tousled and flushed from sex.
“You stopped,” she said, confusion contorting her face.
He smiled and ran his fingers down her cheek. “We need to get back to Camlo and V.”
At the mention of her brother, her eyes cleared. “Oh, no. I forgot them.”