“Please come sit down. I have questions.”
He looked earnest, but she wasn’t buying it. Oh, she didn’t doubt that he had questions he wanted answered, but she knew she wasn’t getting out of here until he let her go.
“Kidnapping is illegal,” she reminded him.
He flashed a brief smile that made her breath catch. She’d found him attractive enough before, but when he smiled, her entire body tingled. He shouldn’t smile. Frowning was much better for her peace of mind.
“You came here of your own free will,” he reminded her.
“Not exactly.” She shifted her weight from one foot to the other. “I really didn’t feel like I had any choice.”
His smile disappeared. Irrationally, she missed it now that it was gone.
“I’m sorry for that,” he told her. “I would really appreciate it if you would answer my questions. Maybe we can help each other.” He held up one hand to forestall her objections. “I’m not suggesting you expect a payoff, but I do owe you any help I can give you. I’m not without resources, and you said you need to get out of town.”
That was an argument she couldn’t dispute. Having pride was one thing. Being stupid was another. She couldn’t afford to be stupid with Herman Temple and the group he belonged to watching her.
Decision made, Sarah walked back to the sofa. She dropped her knapsack on the plush leather and removed her jacket. Darius’s expression didn’t change, but she sensed his satisfaction. Lucky for him he didn’t gloat, or she might have been tempted to find a crowbar and go to work on his fancy elevator.
As she sat, her stomach growled. She put her hand over it, but there was no smothering the sound.
“You’re hungry. When did you last eat?”
“Except for the piece of pie at the diner? Lunchtime.” That seemed like a lifetime ago.
“What do you want? I can order something.” He pulled his phone out of his pocket. “Steak, sandwich, pizza, Chinese, anything you’d like.”
“Pizza sounds good. No olives or anchovies.” She’d eat just about anything, but she drew the line at some things.
She could tell he was trying to hide a smile as he made his call. “John, I need two pizzas with everything but olives or anchovies.” He paused a moment, and she knew he was listening to the man on the other end of the line. She assumed it was John Barrington, the doorman she’d spoken to earlier to get her message to Darius. “Thanks.” He hung up the phone and tucked it away. “Shouldn’t be long.”
He’d surprised her by thanking the doorman. You could tell a lot about a man by the way he treated others, especially those in a lower economic bracket. He’d left a big tip for the waitress at the diner, too.
“Tell me about the Knights of the Dragon.” He wasn’t the only one with questions. “I get the feeling they’ve been around a long time.”
Darius sat in the chair across from her and leaned back, getting comfortable. She wished she could relax. She forced herself to shift from the edge of the sofa and settle against the cushions.
“You’d be right about that. Short history is that the Knights of the Dragon came into existence around two thousand years ago, but they didn’t take that name until around the thirteenth century. Their main goal is to gain power, wealth, and longevity through the ingestion of drakon’s blood.”
It sounded like something out of a fantasy novel to Sarah. Certainly not something sane, rational men would believe. “You said drakon’s blood, but they call themselves Knights of the Dragon. Why?”
Darius sat forward, his expression fierce. “Who the hell knows? Maybe it allows them to ignore the human side of a drakon. Maybe they sleep better at night believing the people they kill and torture are animals and not men. They don’t care to understand the difference between a dragon and a drakon.”
“But you do?” This conversation was quickly going down the rabbit hole.
He nodded. “A drakon is the son of a full-blooded dragon and a human woman. Dragons no longer exist in this world.”
“But they did?”
She started getting nervous when he nodded. What had she gotten herself into? It seemed Darius and Mr. Temple were both a sandwich short of a picnic. “Ah, if dragons did exist, why don’t we have fossilized evidence?” Someone had to be rational.
“Two reasons. First, they returned to their own dimension around four thousand years ago. Second, both dragons and drakons burn when they die, destroying all evidence of their existence.”
Sure they did. She didn’t know what in the hell she’d gotten involved in, but Sarah wanted out. Darius’s phone rang and he answered it, giving her a moment to catch her breath. This day was getting crazier by the second.
“Send it up.” Darius shut his phone and walked to the elevator. This was her chance.
She stood quietly, gathered her coat and knapsack, and tiptoed behind him. When the elevator doors opened, she planned to jump inside.
The doors made no sound as they suddenly slid open. When Darius reached in to lift out the two pizza boxes that were sitting on the floor, she slipped around him, and bolted into the elevator. He slapped his large hand on the doors, keeping them from closing.
“I thought we were eating pizza.” He raised one eyebrow and angled his head to one side to study her.
“I decided it’s best I leave.” She fiddled with the strap of her bag, wishing she had a weapon of some kind inside. Not that she’d actually use it, but she could at least threaten to.
“It was the dragon thing, wasn’t it?” He shook his head as though she’d disappointed him somehow.
“It’s crazy.” She was done being accommodating. “I’m hungry and tired, and I want to go home but can’t.” The reality of the situation hit her like a ton of bricks. She might never go home again. All her books, the small treasures she’d gathered over the course of her lifetime, might be lost to her forever.
There wasn’t anyone she could turn to for help, either. Her parents were both dead, and they’d been only children, so there were no aunts, uncles, or cousins. Being bookish and solitary as a child, she’d also never made friends easily. That had carried over into adulthood. Even if she had some friends, she wouldn’t endanger anyone else by bringing them into this situation.
Her eyes welled with tears and a single drop rolled down her cheeks. She brushed it impatiently away. She wasn’t a crier. It changed nothing, and all it did was make her face blotchy.
“Hey.” He reached in, scooped her up with one arm while balancing the pizzas in his other hand, and pulled her out of the elevator. The doors slid shut, leaving her locked in the apartment with a gorgeous man who believed in dragons and was being hunted by another rich, crazy man who also believed in dragons.
It was official. Her life was a total mess.
“Don’t cry.” He lifted her feet right off the ground and carried her back to the living room as though she weighed nothing. He set the pizzas down, tugged her coat and bag away from her, and sat on the sofa with her curled on his lap.
He gently brushed her hair away from her face. The concern in his eyes was her undoing. Sarah burst into tears.
…
Darius was at a loss as to what to do. Which was really frigging funny when he thought about it. He’d lived thousands of years, had seen the entire world, dealt with all manner of men, made a vast fortune, and yet he didn’t know what to do with one crying female. It seemed it didn’t matter how long a man lived, women were a mystery.
Not that she didn’t deserve to cry. Considering everything she’d been through, it was a wonder she hadn’t had a meltdown earlier. She was a librarian, not a warrior.
And she felt way too good in his arms. She was tall for a woman, but slight of build. Still, she had enough curves that no one would ever doubt her femininity. When she threw her arm around him and buried her face in the curve of his neck, he knew it was over for him.
Warmth pooled in the center of his chest and expanded outward. The creature inside
him stilled for a long second before roaring in triumph. The sensation that rocketed through him was one he recognized well. It was the same feeling he got whenever he found treasure. But this time it was more intense. It went all the way to his very soul.
He didn’t know what it meant, but it scared the crap out of him. After four thousand years of living, he was wary of anything unknown, especially when it came to women. Was this some kind of spell? He didn’t think so. Sarah carried none of the trappings of a sorceress. Nor had he eaten or drank anything she’d given him.
It was a mystery.
He should send her away, but the thought of her leaving him was enough to send him into a complete panic. He couldn’t lose her. There was nothing irrational about that. She had information he needed. He also should protect her considering she’d put her life on the line for him.
Yes, that was it. What he was feeling for her was no more than an inflated sense of obligation.
She nuzzled his neck, and his dick, which had been at half-mast since he’d laid eyes on her, sprang to life. His chest constricted, and he sucked in a deep breath. He cradled Sarah gently in his arms, careful not to do her any harm. With his vast strength, he had to be cautious and aware at all times, otherwise he might accidentally damage her.
He had no idea how long they sat there. The longer it went on, the more Darius relaxed. In spite of the urgency of the situation, he was in no rush for her to leave her current position. He liked her weight on his thighs, her slender arm banded across his chest, and the warmth of her breath against his neck.
When she sniffed, he rubbed his hand up and down her spine, enjoying the way she snuggled closer to him. After a while, she lifted her head. He immediately felt cold without her there.
“Good grief.” She scrubbed at her eyes and scrambled out of his lap. He had to force himself not to pull her back. “I’m sorry about that. I didn’t mean to cry all over you.”
“I don’t mind.” At least he hadn’t after the initial shock. It had been rather nice to hold her. What he hadn’t liked was her tears.
“I must be a mess.” She swiped at her blotchy cheeks, and her smile quivered.
“You look beautiful.” That was the honest truth. He wanted to kiss her puffy eyes and reddened cheeks, slide his fingers through her short, tousled hair. Most of all, he wanted to know what she looked like beneath the jeans and sweater she wore.
She gave a broken laugh. “Thanks for trying to make me feel better. Do you have a bathroom I can use?”
She didn’t believe him, but he didn’t belabor the issue. There was no point. “Certainly.” He stood and prayed she didn’t notice his hard-on, because that certainly wouldn’t put her at ease. “This way.”
She grabbed her knapsack and followed him to the powder room just down the hallway. She gave him another small smile and shut the door in his face.
He couldn’t stand outside and wait for her, even though he wanted to. That would only freak her out. And it wasn’t as though she could leave his home, not without his palm print to open the elevator door.
He strode back to the living room, grabbed the pizza boxes, and took them into the kitchen. She needed to eat something.
He got down a couple of plates and popped several slices of the pizza into the microwave to reheat. While it was doing its thing, he opened a bottle of red wine and poured two glasses. Then he dug out several napkins.
The microwave dinged just as he heard the bathroom door open. He was just putting the plates on the counter when she joined him. Her face was still blotchy and her eyes red, but she appeared composed once again. Her bangs were damp, and he figured she’d splashed water on her face. She didn’t seem to be wearing much makeup, but she was still beautiful.
And he knew she wouldn’t believe him if he told her.
“Eat.” He pushed one of the wineglasses toward her plate.
She slid onto one of the stools, picked up the pizza, and took a bite. She gave a little moan of pleasure, which had his cock jumping to life again. He wondered if she’d make that same sound in bed. It was a good thing he’d stayed on this side of the counter, otherwise she’d get an eyeful.
To distract himself, he grabbed his slice of pizza and devoured it and four more. He felt her gaze on him and wiped his mouth on his napkin. “What?”
“You were hungry.”
He realized she was just finishing her first piece. “I need a lot of fuel.” More than any human his size would. He had a fast metabolism that needed to be fed if he wanted to be at his peak power. “You should have more.”
She smiled and took another piece. “It’s good.”
It was nice sharing a meal with her. He ate another three slices while she polished off her second one. He loved the way she enjoyed the simple meal, the way she caught the strand of cheese with her tongue and licked her lips. His pants grew tighter, and he had to look away, when what he wanted to do was feed her a piece of the pizza and bask in her obvious pleasure.
When she was done, she wiped her hands and took another swallow of her wine. He watched her throat ripple and wanted to kiss her long, slender neck.
“That was delicious. Thank you.” She was so polite. He was learning quite a bit about her. She was a sensual creature even though he knew she’d probably deny it. The sweater she wore was soft and warm, her boots built for comfort instead of style. And she ate with gusto, with none of the picking at food that so many women nowadays seemed to do. She’d enjoyed every single bite, moaning several times.
It was quite a turn-on to watch her enjoy herself so much.
“So,” she began.
“So,” he echoed.
“You said that dragons don’t exist in this world any longer, but that drakons do. I’m not saying I believe you, but what exactly is a drakon?”
The words were out of his mouth before he had time to think. “I am. I’m a drakon.”
Chapter Eight
“You’re what?” She shook her head in disbelief, certain she must have misheard him.
But he looked as shocked as she felt. She got the feeling he hadn’t meant to say what he had. Then he shook his head and met her gaze. “I’m a drakon. The son of a dragon and a human female.”
Could her day get any worse? Yes, yes, it could, because Darius obviously believed what he was saying. She was trapped in a luxury penthouse apartment with a man who thought he was part dragon and part human.
“And how did this happen if dragons haven’t existed on the earth for more than four thousand years?” Time to inject a little reason into the conversation. He couldn’t be totally crazy, not if he’d built a business empire. Or at least that’s what she was banking on.
Maybe he’d played too many of those fantasy role-playing games as a teenager. Maybe he’d never stopped.
He raked his fingers through his thick black hair. “I’m just a little over four thousand years old, Sarah.”
“You don’t look a day over two thousand,” she quipped. When he didn’t laugh at her joke, she hopped off the stool and backed away from him. He sighed and came around the counter. She held out her hands to ward him off. Not that it would do much good considering how much larger he was than her. “Stay back.”
“I didn’t mean to frighten you.” He did seem sorry, but that didn’t change the situation.
“And you didn’t think telling me that you’re a drakon and you’ve been around for thousands of years would freak me out?” Because she was honestly finding it hard to breathe. Her chest tightened and her throat constricted.
“Calm down, Sarah. No one is going to hurt you.”
“And I’m supposed to take your word for that?” The fierce expression on his face made her wish she’d kept her mouth shut. He’d been concerned before. Now he was angry.
She took another step back and stumbled. Darius lunged forward and caught her before her butt hit the floor. He pulled her tightly against him with his arms banded around her.
God, he smelled good. She�
�d noticed earlier, when she’d cried all over him, but had been too upset to enjoy it. It was a combination of man and a woodsy scent that was both stimulating and relaxing at the same time.
She was attracted to a crazy man. It had been that kind of a day. “You can let me go now,” she told him.
“No.” He scooped her into his arms. “No, I really can’t.”
She grabbed his shoulders and gave an undignified squeak. He lifted her as easily as he would a child. She got a fluttering in the pit of her stomach that had nothing to do with the pizza she’d just eaten, and her heart beat faster.
Darius carried her away from the kitchen and living area and down the hallway. She was starting to get worried when he walked into what had to be his office or study. That it wasn’t his bedroom both relieved and disappointed her. Then she got a look at the tall bookshelves lining the room. They were packed with books and artifacts from around the world.
“This is amazing.” She tapped his arm. “Put me down. Put me down.” Surprisingly enough, he lowered her legs until her feet hit the floor.
“Wait here,” he told her. He left her alone in the room. She could call the police, but she didn’t think there was much they could do to help her. Besides, a part of her didn’t want to get Darius in trouble with the authorities. And of course, her phone was in her knapsack in the living room. “Stupid,” she muttered.
“Who is stupid?” he asked as he strode back into the study, looking larger than life.
“Obviously, I am.” She resisted the urge to check out the library and slumped into a wingback leather chair. She scrubbed her hand over her face. “How did I get into this mess?”
It was a rhetorical question, but he knelt in front of her and held out the small leather book that was at the center of this entire situation. “You got into this mess because you have a unique gift. I’m sorry the Knights found you, but I’m not sorry I met you.”
And what was she supposed to think about that? A part of her was charmed, and another part of her thought the entire situation was crazy.
Drakon's Promise (Blood of the Drakon) Page 7