by Rinelle Grey
“Like you needed me?” Nate shot her a look.
Another bolt of guilt stabbed Kytrima in the belly. It seemed to know exactly where to hit to make her feel as bad as possible. Then it twisted.
“I didn’t lie to you,” she said flatly. “I didn’t tell you that I loved you, or even let you think that. I made it quite clear what I needed.”
Nate looked at her again, his expression curious this time. “No, you didn’t,” he agreed. “But we don’t know that Lyrian didn’t either. Unless you do?”
“Good point,” Kytrima said gruffly. “We don’t know what happened. But obviously your brother thought it meant something more than just sex, since he came back.”
“Yeah, he did.” Nate was silent for a moment. Then he said, “Truth is, if you hadn’t told me what that was all about, and about you being a dragon, I’d be convinced I was in love right now. That felt… it felt like no sex I’ve ever had before. I mean, it’s because you’re a dragon, right? Not..?”
His voice trailed off, and he stared over at her.
His eyes seemed to pierce into her soul.
Could he tell? Did he realise that it didn’t normally feel like that?
Oh, sure, the Mesmer bond increased sexual desire for your bonded partner. It wouldn’t work very well if it didn’t. The whole idea was to have that connection, mental as well as physical. That was how it replenished her power.
But what she felt for Nate wasn’t entirely a product of the Mesmer bond. She’d felt that way before they’d bonded.
And she still felt that way, after the Mesmer bond should have been finished and done.
Kytrima shied away from that thought. Shied away from even considering what it could mean.
“Of course it’s because I’m a dragon,” she said, her voice harsher than she’d intended. She softened it a little before adding, “That’s why we have rules about staying away from humans. It’s easy for them to think that sex with us means more than it does.”
Nate glanced over at her, then back at the road. “So it doesn’t feel like that to you?” His voice was gruff.
The bolt of pain in Kytrima’s heart twisted a little more. “I don’t know,” she admitted, the pain making her a little more honest than she’d intended to be. “You’re the first human I’ve ever slept with.”
Nate glanced over then, and flashed her a smile, but it was a weak imitation of the one’s he’d given her earlier. “So… what’s your verdict?”
Kytrima hesitated.
For some reason, she wanted to tell him the truth. That this was completely different to anything she’d ever felt before. That she was as thrown off balance by it as he obviously was.
But then she’d be using him as much as Lyrian was using his brother.
And she didn’t want to do that.
“I’m sorry,” she said gently. “It was wonderful… but it doesn’t mean anything. I have a mission to do, and you have to find your brother. This isn’t anything more than that.”
She could see his Adam’s apple bob up and down as he swallowed. “Right,” he said finally. “We do.” His voice was all business now, and his matter of fact words twisted painfully at her heart.
But it was the right thing, for both of them, she told herself. They didn’t need a romantic involvement right now. They had more important things to do.
“So, what are you going to do when you find this princess?” Nate asked instead.
Kytrima tried to tell herself she was glad of the change of subject.
Even if she didn’t have an answer to his question.
“I need to take her home to my clan, but she isn’t going to come willingly,” she said. “I could go and get my clan to help, but in the middle of the human town, there isn’t much we can do without revealing our existence and putting many humans at risk.”
She really hadn’t thought this through very well.
But maybe Lyrian had. She’d be safe in the human town. There was nothing Kytrima could do there except watch her. But maybe that was enough.
“Once we find her, I’ll need you to keep an eye on her, while I go and get my clan.”
“What about my brother?” Nate demanded. “I’m not sure if I trust your clan to keep him safe.”
Did that mean he did trust her? Kytrima’s heart warmed a little.
Okay, maybe she had to keep her clan out of this.
But what was she going to do?
“We need to get your brother away from her,” she told him. “You need to convince him that she’s trouble, and he needs to come with you. Then once he’s away, I can call in my clan.”
It wasn’t much of a plan, but it was better than nothing.
Anyway, they had to find them first.
Chapter 9
Nate drove into the town, still feeling uneasy.
He’d thought getting an explanation as to what was going on from Kytrima would help. That it would start to make sense.
But he still didn’t really understand any of it.
That could be because he couldn’t stop thinking about the fact that it had felt so amazing to sleep with her. That apparently that was how it always felt to sleep with a dragon.
That she apparently hadn’t felt the same thing.
Well, that wasn’t exactly what she’d said. She had said it was wonderful.
She’d also said it didn’t mean anything.
Nate could kind of understand the predicament his brother had been stuck in. He hadn’t really understood why Brad was so obsessed with Lyrian. He’d never seen his brother like that over any woman before.
But now he got it.
He was going to have a hard time getting over Kytrima when this was over, and she’d been honest with him from the beginning.
The thought of this being over made him sad. He didn’t want this to be over.
Ever.
That last thought hit him like a punch to the stomach.
What was up with him?
He knew this wasn’t real. It wasn’t love. Kytrima had made it quite clear she was using him. That she needed him to find this princess, then she was out of here. Just like he needed to find his brother and keep him safe from the princess Kytrima was looking for.
Getting the idea that this was anything more than that was a recipe for disaster. He needed to keep that straight in his mind.
Yet, it didn’t help. Not at all.
No amount of mental reprimanding changed the fact that he didn’t want it to be like that.
This was the greatest adventure of his life, and he didn’t want it to end.
He glanced sideways at Kytrima, who was staring out the window, absently patting Lily, who had settled on her lap, and his heart gave an extra thump.
Oh hell, he’d fallen in love with her.
Now what was he going to do?
Nate straightened his shoulders. Exactly what he’d told his brother to do when Lyrian had refused to talk to him—buck up and get over her. She had no interest in him. This wasn’t an adventure to her. It was a mission. He was just part of that.
Even though it hurt.
Nate was so distracted by his thoughts that coming into the town was a surprise. He hadn’t been in Mungaloo for years. Not since he’d last visited Uncle Henry. It was a pretty small town though, only two pubs and one motel. Finding Brad and Lyrian shouldn’t be hard.
He almost wished it could be. Then he’d be able to spend longer with Kytrima.
He shook his head. Focus, Nate.
He headed for the nearest pub. Brad had only been in Mungaloo once, and Nate suspected he hadn’t spent much time in the town itself at all. If he’d stopped anywhere, it would probably be at the first pub he came to.
Nate was pretty confident that they’d find him there. There weren’t that many other places to hide in a small town.
He pulled into the parking lot and stopped the engine, then turned to Kytrima. “Perhaps it might be better if you wait here.”
Of course,
she bristled at that. “Why? Are you afraid that your brother will see me and shoot me again?”
She wasn’t too far wrong. “I’m afraid that if he sees you, he’s going to run,” Nate said frankly. “And then we’ll be chasing him again.”
Kytrima frowned. “That’s a good point. But what if the princess runs?”
“She’s more likely to do that if she sees you than if she sees me,” Nate pointed out.
“But I need to find her.”
Nate bit back a sigh. Kytrima was nothing if not obsessed with the princess. “If we find her, I’ll tell you. I’m pretty sure my brother will introduce me if she’s there. You said yourself there’s nothing you can do in town anyway. So this is just a reconnaissance mission, to see if they’re there. They may not even be at this pub anyway.”
Kytrima nodded reluctantly. “All right.”
Nate smiled. “I won’t be long.”
He looked over at Lily, but the little dog seemed quite at home on Kytrima’s lap now. He handed Kytrima the keys. “Here, you’d better keep these, just in case.” In case of what, he wasn’t sure. But you never knew around these dragons. Then he headed into the pub.
As he walked through the door, the bartender looked up and gave him a friendly smile. “Hey, mate. Where’s the pretty wife?”
Nate’s heart skipped a beat. Sometimes, it was handy being mistaken for your twin brother.
Now he knew that Brad was still alive. And that he was here. Or had been at least.
“Actually, I’m not Brad,” he said. “He’s my twin brother, and I’ve been looking for him. Is he in?”
The man’s eyes narrowed, and he looked Nate up and down for a few minutes, then gave a laugh. “You two sure look alike.”
“Yeah, twins.” Nate shrugged. Being mistaken for each other had gotten old when they were kids, but this time it was handy, so he let it slide. “Is he here?”
“Nah, he and the wife went out an hour or so ago.”
“Any idea where? I really need to talk to him.” Nate tried to keep his voice casual, but was largely unsuccessful. He was worried about his brother.
The bartender shrugged. “No idea, mate. Sorry.”
Nate wasn’t surprised. Brad was hardly likely to fill the stranger in on his plans.
But it did seem like he’d be back. That was a good start. He just needed to wait here until Brad turned up.
Then they’d get this sorted out.
That would leave him with only one problem. Kytrima.
His stomach flip-flopped when he thought of her.
When this was over, she’d leave. She was so focused on the mission, that was all she thought of.
And he’d never see her again.
Somehow the thought was hugely disappointing.
Chapter 10
Kytrima patted the little dog absently. Nate’s point about her scaring Lyrian off was a reasonable one, but sitting in the car waiting for answers was unsatisfactory. She wanted to know what was happening.
She wanted to actually see Lyrian, if she were here. To know she was close.
Kytrima stared around the parking lot, but it was mostly empty, making it easy to see that Nate’s brother’s scorched ute wasn’t here.
Kytrima’s shoulders slumped. If the vehicle wasn’t here, they weren’t here.
She glanced back at the pub, but there was no sign of Nate yet. He’d said he wouldn’t be long, and he shouldn’t be, given that his brother obviously wasn’t here. She sighed, and stared out the front window.
She heard a car pull in next to her, and turned her head automatically.
Blackened paint caught her eye, and her heart gave a leap. She stared through the window—right into Nate’s brother’s eyes.
He looked so much like Nate, it took her breath away, and she stared for longer than she should have. She’d seen him before, she shouldn’t be this surprised. But apparently getting to know Nate better meant it threw her.
The man stared back for a long moment, not reacting. He wouldn’t recognise her in human form, but Lyrian, staring over his shoulder, did.
Her eyes widened, and her face twisted in panic. Her lips moved, though Kytrima couldn’t hear what was being said.
Her heart skipped a beat. She’d found them. It had all paid off. Sleeping with Nate, convincing him to help her, all the lies had been worth it.
She’d found the princess.
Except it was all wrong. She was supposed to be hiding. The princess wasn’t supposed to see her or know she was here. She wasn’t supposed to have a chance to run.
This was her moment, and she was going to lose them. The car moved, sliding past her, reversing out of the parking lot.
Kytrima stared back at the pub. Where was Nate when she needed him?
If Lyrian and Brad left, there was no way they’d come back. They’d have lost them again.
There was no sign of Nate, and the ute was pulling out of the carpark.
If Kytrima wanted to keep track of them, she needed to do something, now.
She lifted Lily over into the back seat, and climbed awkwardly into the driver’s seat. Thank heavens Nate had left the keys. Even so, she was in such a rush, she fumbled getting them into the lock.
“Come on.”
She glanced up, and the car was already out on the road.
The keys went in, finally, and she started the engine and pulled out. Brad’s car was a long way up the road by the time she reached it, but thankfully not out of sight. As she drove past the pub, Nate ran out, waving his arms.
Kytrima hesitated for a split second, but there wasn’t time to stop. Not if she wanted to keep track of Brad and Lyrian.
She’d come back for Nate.
He’d understand. He wanted to find his brother as much as she wanted to find Lyrian. He wouldn’t want to see them disappear any more than she did.
So she kept her foot on the accelerator, leaving Nate behind.
Ahead of her, the ute turned left. Kytrima pushed the car as fast as she could. Luckily, there weren’t many other cars around to slow her down. She turned the corner just in time to see Brad’s car turn right ahead of her.
The other car wasn’t exactly going slow either. She was going to lose them. Kytrima swore. This was not going well.
She sped up and swung around the corner, just catching the tail of the ute up ahead as it darted down another side street.
The two cars sped and wove through the quiet country streets. Kytrima was surprised she managed to keep up with them for as long as she did.
Eventually though, she followed them down a side street, only to find it empty.
Where had they gone? Her heart was thumping, as she drove down the street, staring down every side street she came to. They couldn’t have gone far.
There. She caught sight of the tail of the ute as it turned up ahead.
She’d found them. For now. But eventually they’d get lucky, and she’d lose them.
What could she do? She couldn’t use magic here in the middle of the human town. If they were out in the bush, she could throw a lightning bolt in front of them. That would slow them down.
Not that it had done much to slow Lyrian, when she’d been chasing her.
But she had to try.
She could disguise her dragon magic, just a little… Maybe it would be enough.
Kytrima concentrated, summoning up the rolling magic that created thunder clouds. They built up slowly overhead, forcing her to split her attention between the dragon magic, and her driving skill, which wasn’t that high to begin with.
She dropped back further.
To slow them a little, she sent a bolt of lightning at the car in front, not even trying to hit them. Even though it struck the road next to them, the car swerved.
Then the rain started.
The ute slowed then, the driver probably finding it hard to see.
Kytrima didn’t have that problem. She could control her own storm just enough to give her a clear path
to the car in front.
Now she was catching them. She was close enough to see the Rian princess turn around in her seat and stare at her.
The determined stare of the other dragon was enough to give her pause.
She wasn’t the only dragon in this fight. Not the only one with dragon magic.
That gave her just enough warning to grip the wheel tightly seconds before Lyrian’s magical wind slammed into the side of the vehicle. Of course, her storm was giving the princess a cover for her own magic. Who’d be surprised at a bit of wind in the middle of a thunderstorm?
Kytrima fought to keep the car on the road as blast after blast of the Rian dragon’s magic hit her.
She was managing. Just.
Then a huge blast, bigger and stronger than all the others, hit her square on. This time, there was nothing she could do. The car swerved wildly, ripping the steering wheel out of her grasp, and sending her swerving off the road and into a ditch.
Kytrima tried to force it back to the road, but it was stuck.
The ute had no such problems, it continued driving.
Kytrima struggled out of her seatbelt and forced the door open.
But by the time she ran out onto the road behind them, they were almost out of sight. There was no way she could catch them on foot, and taking dragon form was too risky, even to chase the princess.
She’d lost them.
Chapter 11
When Kytrima drove off in his car, reality hit home for Nate.
He’d been a fool.
A completely and utter fool.
He’d been as bewitched as she claimed Brad had. He’d bought her story, hook, line, and sinker. He’d believed her about being a dragon, and about needing his help.
But she’d just been playing him.
Had this been her goal? To steal his car?
There had to be more to it than that, surely.
He had seen her eyes change, he hadn’t been imagining that. There was no way she could fake a change like that. Sure, contacts could make her eyes look different, but not change like that.
Could they?
He shook his head in confusion. He wasn’t quite sure how he’d been played, but he was sure he had.