by Meg Ripley
“Miss Winter, it’s a pleasure to see you again,” Victor announced as he rounded the top of the stairs.
“You, as well, Mr. Weathersby. If you’ll excuse me.” She pushed past him, starting down the steps and out of sight.
“What the hell were you doing with that girl?” Victor whispered vehemently just seconds later.
“I don’t think that’s any of your business, Victor.” Cade shoved all thoughts of her as far away as he could and conjured an inner calm, knowing the exterior façade wouldn’t fool him.
“I saw the way you looked at her. You’re going to risk yourself for some pathetic, working class floozy? You’d be jeopardizing everything, and you know it.”
“I’m not risking anything.”
“You can’t be with her, Cade. She’s beneath you; she’ll never be worthy of you.”
“I know that, Victor. Despite what you think you saw, do you really believe someone like her could be anything more than a passing amusement? She’s a refreshing change from the usual bimbos who warm my bed, and nothing more.”
He cringed inwardly at the wretched lie. Hope hadn’t left the reception hall. She hadn’t even left the staircase. She heard every word he said, and no doubt, she believed every word of it. He could hear her footsteps just then, finishing their descent down the stairs and hurrying across the reception hall.
“Bimbos are good, Cade. They’re safe and they know their place. The woman you were just fucking is nothing but trouble. I could smell it a mile away. I understand your appetite for her, I really do. Her scent is intoxicating.” Victor breathed in deep, inhaling Hope’s scent still lingering in the air.
It took Cade every bit of restraint he could muster to bite back the roar that rose in his throat. White hot rage pulsated through his veins and he saw red as he fought the urge to rip the man limb from limb. Even without his heightened senses, he would have been able to see the way Victor was responding to Hope’s scent. He’d never experienced this kind of possessiveness before, but it was coursing through his veins at full throttle.
“Leave, Victor. Get the hell out of my hotel and don’t come back until you’ve come to your senses.”
The man stared at him for a moment, but said nothing else. He left without another word, strolling casually across the lounge and down the stairs.
He should have gone after him, but he was fighting with every fiber of his body to stop the shift the dragon so desperately wanted. So, he stood there, breathing in and breathing out. Minutes passed, but it wasn’t enough. Victor had incited a fury he’d never felt before; so intense, that he wondered if any amount of time would ever be enough to calm the enraged dragon that threatened to take over.
Chapter 7
The room around her spun wildly.
“…nothing more than a passing amusement…”
“…she’ll never be worthy of you…”
The words echoed in her head. Cade hadn’t objected to a single word Victor had said. He’d agreed with him, and she now felt like an absolute fool.
She’d tiptoed down the remainder of the steps, and hurried through the banquet hall and out the hotel’s front doors as fast as she could. No doubt, people stared after her, but she didn’t care. She couldn’t possibly feel any more humiliated. She never should have gone to that stupid dinner. What had she been thinking? The infamous Cade Stryker, the man who had a different high-profile beauty on his arm every week had suddenly found something profound with a lowly magician’s assistant? No, she’d been nothing more than an amusement to him—he’d said the words himself.
The worst part was she had believed him; she’d sensed that he had felt the same inexplicable need for her. But that was ludicrous. It had been nothing more than a ploy her mind had played on her to bend her to its will.
She strode along the busy Vegas streets, alight with neon signs and flashing lights now that the sun had set. She walked blindly, paying no attention to the turns her feet made or the direction she was heading. She just walked, and she continued until she didn’t recognize the scenery that surrounded her. If it weren’t for Lexi, she wouldn’t stop. She’d continue walking until she’d left the city—and Cade Stryker—far behind her.
“Ava,” a man’s voice called out from a sleek, red car that pulled up next to her.
It wasn’t Cade’s voice; he hadn’t come after her. Of course he hadn’t. He had no more use for her. She recognized the voice though and it sent a shiver down her spine. Why the mere sound of the man bothered her so thoroughly, she didn’t know.
“Ava, please,” he called louder as he stopped the car and hopped out of the driver’s seat of the Aston Martin One-77.
“Please go away, Mr. Weathersby.” She wasn’t in the mood to chat, especially not with yet another man who felt she was little more than pond scum.
“I fear you overheard my conversation with Cade, and I do apologize. I feel the need to offer you an explanation. If you’ll just listen to me…” He fell in line next to her, keeping up with her pace.
“I believe you’ve said more than enough.” No doubt, he intended to regale her with his heartfelt concern for his friend; for Cade’s reputation and whatever else being seen with her could destroy. He’d tell her that it was unfair of society to be so judgmental, but it was the way of the world, nevertheless.
“It’s true that I encouraged him to stay away from you, playing into his ego and status, but it wasn’t for him that I felt concerned.”
“Is that so?” The man was a terrible liar. She could see right through his lie. In fact, she could not only see it, but sense it. Some part of her could feel the falseness in his words. It was strange though, because it was the same part of her that had been so drawn to Cade. Why she trusted that part of her after being proven so wrong was irrational, but she did—despite the way she’d dismissed that ‘sense’ as nothing more than a mind-trick a moment before.
“I’m warning you, Ava. Cade is not all he appears to be. There is another side to him, of which I’m sure you have already been given a glimpse,” he nodded to the bruises on her arms. “You would be wise to keep your distance.”
She looked down at her arms and her hands moved automatically to cover the bruises she saw there. She hadn’t even noticed they were there, but memories of what put them there flooded her veins. “And why do you say that, Victor? To protect me from him, or to protect him from a poor, pathetic magician’s assistant?”
He looked at her, but didn’t say a word. He was breathing deeply and the glint in his golden eyes set her even more on edge. She picked up her pace, wanting to get away from him even more than she had a moment before.
“What you are doesn’t concern me, Ava. What difference would it make to me if my friend gets himself involved with a rich woman or a poor woman? I only worry about what will remain of you when he can no longer keep his darker side in check in your presence.”
Lies—every word he spoke was a lie. “I appreciate your concern, but I’ve been looking out for myself for a very long time.”
“Suit yourself.” And just like that, he stopped.
Good. She kept up her pace, trying to put as much distance between her and Victor as she could. Looking around though, she realized she’d certainly covered quite the distance; she didn’t even recognize her surroundings.
Suddenly, she fell to the ground, pushed so hard from behind, she had no hope of keeping her balance. Her cheek hit the hard pavement at the same time as her knees and the palms of her hands. She’d heard about plenty of instances of late-night muggings—and worse—in Sin City, but in all her years there, she hadn’t fallen victim once. She tensed her muscles, prepared to fight as she flipped over to see who had pushed her.
Oh God. It wasn’t a man, or even a group of men.
A blood-red beast towered above her. It was enormous, larger than any creature she’d ever seen. Its head was as big as a car, its teeth, like daggers, and she had no doubt its powerful jaw could bite through steel with little
effort.
Its scaly arm stretched out toward her with talons that looked sharp enough to lacerate flesh and bone to ribbons in a single swipe. She scurried backward, but she knew it was useless. Its arm stretched further until it caught up with her.
Her heart pounded violently and her breath got stuck in her throat as it touched her, sliding a talon up the length of her thigh. It was toying with her, like a cat plays with a mouse before it devours its prey. She could sense it. Sweat beaded on her brow and trickled down her spine as its talon continued up her ribs, making a long slice in the fabric of her dress and cutting into the flesh beneath it.
“No!” She couldn’t stop the cry that fell from her lips, although she cursed herself for it. She could tell by the evil, satisfied gleam in its eyes that was what the beast wanted. Her pain pleased it immensely.
The look in its eyes changed abruptly, as if it somehow knew its time to play had run out. She was about to die.
It withdrew its talon, and its pentagonal scales stood on end. A deep roar assaulted her ears. It was unlike any animal she’d ever heard. Smoke billowed from its nostrils, irritating her eyes while the scent of sulfur overwhelmed her. Its mouth opened wide. What stood before her couldn’t possibly be real, and yet it was about to devour her. She was about to become a meal to a fictional beast.
To a dragon.
A deafening roar rent the air, so loud, it drowned out even the sound of her own heart beating wildly in her ears. But it wasn’t the dragon, at least not the dragon in front of her.
Something black descended from the sky, its iridescent wings spread wide; a fiery inferno shooting from its mouth. Another dragon? It wasn’t possible.
With a tremendous thud, it landed behind the other dragon, its massive size dwarfing the crimson-colored beast. In the blink of an eye, it had hooked its talons into the scaly, red back and tossed it at least one hundred feet behind itself into the park.
The red beast crashed down, making the ground beneath her shake with its impact. The black dragon was right there, swiping at the other with its talons and making it roar in what she could only imagine was sheer agony. It took flight, its ruby form streaking across the sky as it fled from the black dragon and faded quickly into the distance.
The black beast turned toward her then and she scurried to her feet, intending to flee—even if it was a futile attempt at escape. She looked up at the black dragon, its iridescent scales gleaming even in the darkness, countless spikes jutting backward from its brow, and its brilliant green eyes staring back at her intently. It was terrifying and beautiful. It could destroy anything that crossed its path, but it wasn’t going to—she could sense it.
She took a step forward on shaking legs, and it looked at her strangely, as if it was trying to figure out what she was or what she was doing. Its eyes swept over her, lingering on the place across her ribs where the other beast had sliced her. A low rumble rose up from its throat. She should have turned and run away, but she didn’t. She did the most insane thing she could imagine: she took another step forward.
The dragon lowered its head slowly and tucked its wings against its massive body. What was it doing? Its green eyes narrowed then as it gazed at her. It was as if the beast was trying to see into her soul, just like… “Cade,” she whispered aloud, though it was absurd.
And then it was gone. The dragon took flight just as quickly as the red beast had and flew off into the night’s sky.
Then, just like nothing had ever taken place, she was alone. If it weren’t for the bloody gash across her ribs, she’d wonder if she had imagined it all, the vile monster and the terrifying, yet majestic black dragon.
With the moment of terror and wonder past, the wound on her torso flared to life. The slice left by the creature stung, and blood saturated the bodice of her gown. While it hurt, it wasn’t life threatening. It hadn’t dug deep enough to find any vital organs, and her blood had slowed to a trickle from the gash. It had been toying with her; the wound hadn’t been meant to kill her.
She turned and started back the way she’d come, though she had no idea how far she’d traveled to know how long it would take to find her way home. She didn’t care. Her head was preoccupied as back and forth, Cade’s eyes and then the dragon’s flashed through her mind. For sure, the dragon’s eyes were much larger, but somehow, they were the same.
Sure, they were the same brilliant green, but it was more than that. The wisdom in their eyes, the way they tried to peer into her soul…it couldn’t be coincidence, could it? If not coincidence, what was the alternative? Not only had she happened to run into two mythical creatures on the same night, but one of those creatures happened to be the man she’d had sex with an hour prior?
She couldn’t explain the first impossibility, never mind the second. But without an answer or any way to make sense of what had happened, the terrifying encounter continued to swirl around in her head, so much that she grew lightheaded.
“Hope,” a man’s voice called to her just as she sensed a presence behind her.
She stopped walking, though why she did was a mystery to her, but she didn’t turn around. She didn’t want to see him. Even if she hadn’t just had the most terrifying, confusing experience of her life, he’d humiliated her, using her for sex and throwing her out like garbage.
“I’ve been trying to find you. Why did you run off?” he asked, but his words sounded hollow. He knew why she’d left.
“We don’t need to have this conversation.”
“Yes, we do.”
She exhaled heavily. If she was smart, she’d keep on walking, but her feet wouldn’t allow it. Without thinking, she spun around to face him. His eyes grazed over her disheveled and bloodied appearance, but there was no surprise in his countenance, nor did she see it in his eyes. Even someone who didn’t care about her—which described him perfectly—would still be surprised to see the injury she’d sustained. His eyes met hers, and the dragon’s stare flashed through her mind.
“Let me take you home, Hope,” he whispered.
“I’ve always managed to make it on my own, Cade. I don’t need your help.”
He scoffed at her assertion, as if she’d spoken a blatant lie. The dragon’s eyes appeared in her head again, and it was only then that she realized the reason the black creature had swooped in was to save her; to drive off the vermilion monster. Was that why Cade scoffed at her? She never would have escaped on her own, not without his help. No, that was ridiculous. It wasn’t Cade who had rescued her; it was the dragon. But then, why wasn’t Cade at all surprised to see what had happened to her?
“How did you know where to find me?” The question slipped from her lips unbidden.
“I’ve been out looking for you since I realized you’d left, and I saw you walking along the street just now.”
Maybe she was too overwhelmed by the night, or too tired, or just completely and utterly insane, but she sensed he knew more than he was letting on, and so she persisted, “No, I mean how did you find me before, when I…needed your help?”
He stepped toward her and his hands reached out, stopping a hair’s breadth from the gash across her ribs. Without touching her, he outlined the wound with his fingers. The pained expression he wore would make a person think he was the one who had just been sliced by the razor-sharp talon.
“Hope…I…let me take you home.”
A car pulled up beside them right then, and Steven James stepped out, coming around to where they stood. “Miss Winter, it’s good to see…” he began, but fell silent the moment his eyes caught sight of her bloodied bodice. “Oh my God, you’re bleeding! We need to get you to the hospital,” the man spoke in a panic, his head darting back and forth between her and Cade, obviously confused why the two of them were just standing there.
“It’s okay, Mr. James,” she reassured him. “It’s not as bad as it appears. I’m tougher than I look. A couple of bandages, and I’ll be as good as new.”
It was nice that he was worried about
her, though she had a feeling some of that stemmed from having a weak constitution, squeamish when it came to the sight of blood—if the greenish hue his skin had taken could be used as an indicator. Still, there was something else about him, just like before when he’d come banging on her door before sunrise.
Cade leaned in close, his lips brushing lightly against her ear. “Let me take you…” he whispered, bringing to the forefront of her mind what they’d just done in the hotel’s upper lounge. Her body sprung to life, despite the ordeal she’d just been through and regardless of the humiliation she’d suffered earlier. She couldn’t help it. Worse, she let him guide her to the car and slipped into the back seat when he opened the door. He slid in next to her and the car began to move a moment later.
The scenery grew familiar quickly, and she stared out the window at the bright lights of Vegas as they drove, though she saw little more than a colorful blur. She needed to focus her attention elsewhere, not on the man sitting next to her. What was she supposed to say to him? Did she really believe he was a mythical creature? Mythical was the key word—a creature who only existed in folktales, not one that drove around the streets of Las Vegas. If he wasn’t, and she told him what had happened and what she believed he was, he was going to have her committed.
The car slowed a few moments later, coming to a stop at a rear entrance of the hotel, the same hotel she’d fled from just hours before. “This isn’t my apartment, Cade.”
“I realize that,” he told her, already sliding out of the car. He reached his hand out to her like he’d done when they last arrived together at the hotel. It was such a short time ago, and yet since then, she’d had the most incredible sex ever and had been humiliated like never before. She’d been terrified and assaulted by one dragon and rescued by another. A giggle rose up in her throat and she couldn’t contain it. She covered her mouth as it spilled from her lips. It was just all too ridiculous.
He peeked his head back in. “Hope?” He looked genuinely concerned, and she couldn’t blame him. A hysterical woman in the back of his car—that would give any man cause for concern. But he took her hand gently and she slid out of the car. He kept her hand in his as he led her toward the door. Once inside, it was only a few steps to the service elevator, a brief trip up to the top floor of the hotel and a few steps to the door of his suite.