by Denise Lynn
She nodded against his shoulder, but before she could say anything, he continued, “How could I not bring the remnants of our dreams here?”
“Why? You didn’t care before, so why bring the stone I commissioned here to remind you of something that held little meaning?”
“Little meaning?” The pain in his voice rasped against her ears. “You think I didn’t care? You think my anger, my rage, wasn’t because of losing Matthew?” His chest heaved against hers. “I was given no chance to grieve. I had a wife to worry myself sick about.”
Alexia cringed at the accusation in his tone. Hadn’t she given him time to grieve? She no longer remembered. She’d been so beside herself, so upset, so livid, that she’d never truly noticed what the accident had done to Braeden.
Still, she’d been that way because of his words to his aunt. “You took your aunt’s side and left me to look like an insane murderer.” She gasped, her breath rushing painfully into her chest. “You blamed me for his death.”
“Stop it.” He grasped her upper arms and pulled her from his chest. His eyes shimmered suspiciously. But anger hardened his jaw, giving her insight to the emotion raging through him.
“Alexia, we’ve been through this already. I never blamed you for Matthew’s death. Never.”
He’d told her that before, but she knew what she’d heard at the hospital. “Why do you say that? I heard you and Danielle.”
“Did you? Did you hear us, or were you so full of your own guilt that you heard nothing but those few words?”
She tried to jerk away, but he held her fast. “No. Damn it, this is it, Alexia. We’re doing this now. Here. I don’t care if it takes a lifetime. I never, ever blamed you.”
Unable to chase the scene in the hospital from her mind, Alexia shook her head slowly. “Yes, you did.”
“You fool. I blamed myself, not you. None of this would have happened had we not fought. I started that argument. I did. Not you. It was my fault. Not yours.”
His voice broke. Alexia’s focus swung to his face, stunned at the terrible pain dulling his eyes.
He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed her palm before placing it against his chest, over his heart. “I would have given my own life to save his, Alexia. I would have done it for you.”
The truth of his confession pounded hard beneath her hand. She closed her eyes against the pain throbbing in her own chest. “You never believed me. You took your aunt’s side.”
“Leave Danielle out of this. I didn’t want to believe you. If I had, it would have meant that someone was out to kill my wife. I didn’t want that to be true. I wanted you to grieve, to heal, to eventually come to your senses.”
“Alone?” To calm the hysteria she heard in her own voice she swallowed hard before asking, “You expected me to get over it alone?”
“You were never alone. Never. Alexia, I was at your side every minute until you locked me out of our room.”
Defeat settled in her belly. “It doesn’t matter.”
He shook her. “Yes, damn it, it does matter. This has been between us too long. Alexia, we never got past that day. Don’t you think it’s time we give Matthew’s memory peace? Don’t you think it’s time we decide if we’re going to move on together or just end it?”
The thought of never seeing Braeden again, of never hearing the sound of his deep voice or even feeling the lash of his anger choked the breath from her. She couldn’t have stopped the tears from slipping down her cheeks if she’d tried. “You never believed me.” She closed her eyes against the humiliating tears.
“Then tell me. Tell me now what happened.”
“I was run off the road.”
“Lexi, there was no other car. There were no tire marks, no dents on your car to show you’d been hit.”
She drew in a shaking breath and nearly screamed, “I was run off the road by a dragon!”
“A dragon?”
Anger helped to erase a small bit of her pain, just as it had once before. “You still don’t believe me. Every time I mention being run off the road, you look at me as if I’ve lost my mind. That’s why I never told you. I was afraid you’d have me drugged, or worse.”
“A dragon?”
His voice seemed to come from far off. “Braeden?” She stared at him. He frowned in concentration. She repeated, “Braeden?”
“You’re right. I wouldn’t have believed you.” She tried to jerk free. But he held her tight. “I believe you now. After what we’ve seen, how could I not?”
While her heart still ached, the pain in her stomach lessened. Relief, like someone had removed a huge weight from her chest, flooded through her.
Braeden must have felt it, because he relaxed his near bruising hold and drew her back against his chest. “Alexia, how could I have believed you then?”
Even then, when it had happened, it had seemed impossible to her. So she had no choice but to give him that much. However, there was that little thing called trust. She could have run from his powers in disbelief when he’d first explained the whole wizard concept to her, but she’d trusted him. He could have done the same for her. He could have given her the benefit of the doubt. “You could have believed me because you knew I would never lie to you. I had no reason to lie about the accident. None.”
Which in the end is what drove the final wedge between them. Braeden had been working almost around the clock and had no time for her. Alexia no longer remembered what they’d fought about that night. Their countless arguments had all run together in her mind.
She’d left the condo in Boston angry and had taken off in the car during a thunderstorm. His aunt had claimed that she’d driven off the road just to get Braeden’s attention.
“No, you didn’t have any reason to lie. I never believed for one minute that you had intentionally caused the accident. I just couldn’t understand how it happened. And I couldn’t accept that you wouldn’t let me in, Alexia. You shut me out as securely as any door.”
His heartbeat hammered beneath her ear. She hadn’t seen it then, but he was right. She had shut him out. In her pain she had no room to care for what anyone else suffered. She could barely take care of herself, let alone anyone else.
She stroked his arm. “Braeden, we both made mistakes. I didn’t mean to shut you out any more than you meant to not believe me. I needed you. You needed me. And we both chose to reach inside, to suffer our pain alone, instead of reaching for each other. What are we going to do?”
“What do you want to do?” He rested his cheek atop her head. “What does your heart tell you to do?”
“I’m afraid. Braeden, I can’t hurt like that again.”
“Neither can I. So I guess instead of taking that risk, we end it. Just put our marriage to rest once and for all.”
“You mean file for divorce?” Her chest constricted.
“If that’s what you want, yes. We both deserve some kind of life, don’t we?”
“But…” Did he want a life with someone else? Did he not love her anymore?
“But what? It might be for the best.”
“The best?” The best for whom? Certainly not for her.
“Don’t you want to start your life over, fresh and free of the memories that chafe like an open wound?”
She would never be free of her memories of Braeden. Never. All of them, the good and the bad, would be part of her for as long as she lived.
“Don’t you agree it would be for the best?”
“Dear God, no. No, Braeden.” She pulled away, gasping in agony at the thought. “No. I don’t want to lose you.”
He reached out and cupped her face, gently urging her forward. “Alexia, then start a new life over again with me. Let’s see if we can learn to trust each other again, see if we can rediscover what we once shared. Can we do that? Can we try?”
When she’d come to him for safety, she’d known there would be a high price to pay. She’d wondered what she’d have to forfeit to the Master of the Lair.
&n
bsp; Alexia now knew that price. Now was not the time to wrap the false bravado of pride and past hurts around her heart. Not when her heart was the price for coming to him. It was time to let it all go. Time to bury the pain of the past with their son.
She came to him slowly, losing herself in his steady amethyst gaze that silently spoke of promises made long ago.
His warm lips were gentle on hers. His arms held her securely against his chest.
Memories of passion shared, of love given and taken, swept through her, leaving a trail of growing desire in their wake.
To her amazement, she trembled as if this were their first time together. She curled her fingers into his shirt, holding on as he parted her lips.
His kiss was sure and demanded a response as his tongue swept along hers. She moaned softly against his mouth.
His lips left hers to trail a hot line to the soft spot beneath her ear. “I want you, all of you.” The huskily spoke statement sent a heated shiver down her spine.
She sighed. “And I want you, but we’re in the middle of the woods.”
“Are we?”
Alexia opened her eyes and tipped her head away from his. To her amazement they were no long surrounded by sunshine or forest.
“Where are we?”
Instead of answering her, he cupped her breast and stroked a thumb across the peak. Even through the layers of fabric, her flesh responded, straining toward his touch.
Where they were no longer mattered. It was fairly obvious now by the stone walls surrounding them that they were in the bedroom. The only thing that really mattered was the flash of hot need building low in her belly.
She tugged at his jacket until he tore the garment off and tossed it to the floor. Hers followed within seconds, her blouse along with it.
A knock sounded at the door. Braeden cursed, then merely pointed at the bedroom door. Alexia heard the distinct sound of a lock clicking in place. She used to find his powers intimidating and a bit frightening. Now they seemed rather useful.
“It could be important.”
He reached out and pinched open the front hook of her bra. As he pushed the straps down her arms, he shook his head. “There’s nothing more important than this.”
Braeden caressed her breasts, alternately stroking and teasing the already hardening nipples. More starved for his touch that she’d realized, she arched into his hands and closed her eyes.
His mouth closed over one tip, and she grasped his shoulder for support as her legs threatened to buckle. His lips trailed fire across her breast, over her collarbone and up her neck.
“It’s been too long.”
She agreed. The heat pooling between her legs begged for his touch. Alexia slid her hand down his chest and stomach to rest against the length of his erection. “Yes, it has.”
She tugged at the hem of his T-shirt, pulling it free from his jeans and up his chest. “Braeden, stand up.”
When he leaned away from her, she stripped it over his head in a flash before sliding her fingers into the top of his jeans and flicking the metal button free.
He brushed her hands away. Slowly trailing his fingertips along her collarbone, he paused to gently trace the outline of her breasts before chasing the shivers down her torso.
His touch drew her forward. “Braeden.”
With a low, seductive chuckle, he only pushed her back and continued his slow exploration. He skimmed the top of her jeans, thumbing open the snap.
Anxious and wanting to feel his flesh beneath her fingers, Alexia reached out and tugged his zipper down. She pushed his jeans partway down his hips and slid a hand beneath the waistband of his briefs.
He was hot and hard beneath her touch. She whispered, “I want you now.”
Her back hit the mattress before she fully comprehended that they were moving. Like a whirlwind with a single purpose in mind, Braeden had them on the bed, naked.
The first ragged sigh of anticipation hadn’t even fully left her lips, making her wonder if she’d been that distracted or if magic had been involved.
But his seeking hand skating along her leg, parting her thighs, made her wonder if any magic could feel as sensual or exciting as his fingers stroking her heated center, slipping between the slick folds.
No mystical powers could be as warm and alive as the body stretched alongside hers.
Nothing borne of the elements could possibly melt her bones and make her shiver the same way his lips against her neck did.
She gasped at how quickly her body responded to his caress. It had been too long. Far too long. She’d slept alone too many nights with only memories, which often awakened her from her dreams, feverish with need.
His kisses, his exquisite caresses, were torture. As enjoyable as she knew it could be, right now, she wanted him on her, in her, wrapped around her senses and body, filling the lonely spaces she’d come to accept.
Alexia grasped at his shoulder, breathlessly begging, “Braeden, please.”
He rolled atop her, supporting his body on his elbows and forearms. She moaned with pleasure at the familiar weight of hard muscles cushioned by softer flesh.
Unwilling to wait any longer, she spread her legs wider and tilted her hips against him. “Braeden, love me.”
He came into her with one sure, fluid stroke that drew a cry from her lips.
While his hands on her body were gentle, his thrusts and kisses were not. They were demanding and possessive. Alexia clutched him tightly to her, savoring the shared possession.
She broke their kiss, gasping his name, desperate for fulfillment. He reached between them, finding and stroking the pulsing bud at her core.
“Look at me, Alexia.”
His hoarse command left her no option. She stared into the shimmering amethyst gaze of her dragon.
In the twin mirrors to his soul she saw the dragon rise up from his nest, step out of his lair, unfurl his mighty wings and take flight. He soared, strong and free, seeking the one thing that would fill the void in his life.
His mate.
Alexia’s breath hitched when the beast found her. They circled each other midair, necks arched, tails whipping back and forth, nostrils flaring as they took in the other’s scent.
Soon, in a move born of lust, love and need, the dragon captured his mate, held her fast with steely talons, cloaking her protectively within the safety of his wings.
As the beasts came together, Alexia’s stomach clenched, her toes curled. She cried out his name while falling into the spiraling vortex of her orgasm.
Braeden covered her lips with his and answered her cry with a deep, ragged one of his own.
Spent, he fell atop her, breathing hard. He gathered her into his arms and rolled onto his side.
Alexia pressed her forehead into his shoulder and gasped for breath. “The next time I think of leaving, remind me of this.”
He tightened his embrace and kissed the top of her head. “There won’t be a next time.”
She snuggled against him, taking advantage of the content, quiet intimacy. It wouldn’t last, it never did. Before she was ready to move, Braeden would be heading for the shower, and she’d do her best to drag her limp body in to join him.
Too soon, he eased his hold and rolled onto his back. She propped herself up on an elbow and drew circles with her finger on his damp chest.
He covered her hand with his. “I—”
She finished his sentence. “Need a shower.”
“Yes.” His laugh filled the room. Some things never changed.
Chapter 14
Alexia tapped a pencil on the worktable Braeden had requested be brought up to their bedroom. It was no wonder Nathan was angry. His father had been killed in this castle while trying to nab the first Dragonierre’s Manual from a fire.
“Anything new?”
She turned and lifted her face toward Braeden for a quick kiss, then told him what she’d discovered, adding, “Nathan had been groomed to step into the role of High Druid after his un
cle Aelthed died. But because of his father’s deceit, he’d been set aside—for a Drake.”
Not that it made Nathan’s evilness right, but it explained why the man sought to harm the Drakes.
Braeden hooked another chair with his foot, dragged it over, then sat down. “A tale of revenge. The best kind.”
“Unfortunately this tale is most likely steeped in truth.”
She could tell from his unconcerned expression that he didn’t share her worry. He nodded toward the pages. “Anything else?”
“Not a lot.” While she could decode the multiple languages used to create the piece of work, it was time-consuming. “Aelthed had a workroom here in the castle. I don’t suppose you’d know where?”
“With the amount of construction and remodeling done through the centuries, it could be anywhere—or not exist at all anymore.”
She looked around the room. “If the original building had been done in the twelfth century, there should be at least one hidden room or hallway.”
Braeden reached into his pocket and handed her a necklace. A silver dragon pendant with a ruby mounted on its belly hung from a thin lace of leather. “Before you go snooping around, put this on.”
“Snooping?” Had her intent been that obvious?
“You know you will.”
She slid the necklace over her head. “I take it this is the charm you asked your aunt to make?”
“Yes. She had to wait for the right phase of the moon for the spell casting, so I just got them today.” He slid a finger beneath the strip of leather around his neck.
“She made one for everyone?” Alexia studied the dragon. “What’s it supposed to do?”
“It won’t come to life, if that’s what you’re thinking. It’s for protection against Nathan and his family.”
She dropped it beneath her blouse, letting it settle between her breasts. “He’s your family, too.”
Braeden groaned. “Don’t remind me.”
“Don’t you have a couple of meetings at the Lair today?”