“We have to leave the country.” There was no way around it. “If the military is after you, they have unlimited resources at their fingertips—surveillance cameras, electronic records, and heaven only knows what else.” She jumped to her feet and began to pace. “They probably already know I’m here.” It was a terrifying proposition.
Darius caught her by the shoulders. “I don’t think so. I don’t believe this Herman Temple would be so quick to give up his leverage to any government department. His contact probably believes he’s manufacturing some drug that will make soldiers stronger, faster, and more able to withstand injury.”
That made sense and calmed her somewhat. Mr. Temple was rich and powerful in his own right, and he owned one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world.
The more she thought about it, the more she believed Darius was right. Mr. Temple’s military contact might not even know anything about drakons. It was likely Mr. Temple had promised them some kind of drug to make their soldiers stronger. That kept all the power, and the drakon, firmly in his grasp.
“You’re right. The Knights wouldn’t risk alerting his contact until they had you. Maybe not even then. Mr. Temple has made a lot of his money in pharmaceuticals. It’s more likely he has his people experimenting on drakon blood.” That made more sense than allowing the military control over a drakon. He might give the military a sample of drakon blood to experiment with, but he’d never explain where it came from. Mr. Temple would probably tell them it was something his lab developed.
Darius inclined his head. He seemed so composed and steady. Of course, this probably wasn’t the first time he’d been targeted by the Knights of the Dragon. She narrowed her gaze and studied him. For the first time in her life, she wished her gift worked on people and not just inanimate objects.
“What now?” she asked.
Darius reached into his desk drawer and drew out yet another phone. He seemed to have a supply of them. “Now I call my contact and see what he’s discovered.” He turned away and dialed the number, the action as natural to him as breathing. She wondered what it must be like to live with such secrecy every day of your life. She wasn’t sure she could handle it.
Not that he had much choice with Herman Temple and his ilk hunting him.
“What have you got?” Darius asked the person who answered his call. She strained her ears but couldn’t hear anything useful. Darius turned toward her, and she leaned back in her chair and looked casually around the room. Not that he was fooled by her display. The man winked at her. Winked at her.
He made several noncommittal noises and then seemed to listen intently. “I’m going to put you on speaker. Sarah needs to hear this.”
She sat forward and rested her elbows on her knees. Exhaustion was pulling at her, but there was no way she was going to miss this conversation.
“Who the hell is Sarah?” The voice was deep, male, and angry.
“I’ll explain later. What do you know?” Darius asked his friend or colleague or whoever this person was.
“Herman Temple has a history that goes back about sixty years or so. He inherited family money and grew the fortune. That’s all public knowledge.”
Sarah nodded. There was nothing new there. She’d known all that and more before she’d stepped foot into his office.
“On paper, he’s a businessman and a philanthropist. Dig deeper and it gets interesting.”
“I don’t have all night.” Darius was getting impatient with the speaker.
“You have no appreciation for my intellectual prowess,” the unknown man complained.
“Don’t make me come out there.” Darius voice had grown deeper, his tone clipped. He was glaring at the phone, and Sarah had to bite her lip to keep from laughing. She might not know the man on the line, but she already liked him.
“Very well. Although, you and your friend are welcome here any time.” There was a pause. “Now where was I? Oh, yes, my skill as a researcher.” His tone turned serious. “I dug up a few photos of Herman Temple’s grandfather and his great grandfather. And let me tell you that wasn’t easy. I called in a few favors I would have rather not had to.”
“And?” She couldn’t stand the suspense. “What did you find?” she asked.
“It’s the same man. Or his twin. I think that the man in the photos is Temple, and every so often, he reinvents himself as his own son or grandson.”
“That’s not possible.” She rubbed her aching head and thought about her vision from the book. It had seemed old, but the man she’d seen had definitely been Mr. Temple.
“Oh, it’s very possible, sweetheart,” the unknown man said.
Darius growled at the phone. His nostrils flared and actual smoke flowed from them. He wasn’t happy with the speaker, and she had no idea why.
“What he means to say”—Darius took over the conversation—“is that if the man had a ready supply of drakon blood, he could easily extend his life for several centuries, maybe longer.”
Sarah thought about the poor drakon from her vision. If he’d died a long time ago, how had Mr. Temple gotten more drakon’s blood? There was only one answer—he’d captured another drakon. Either that or the scene in her vision was much more recent than she’d thought. The thought of the poor creature being tortured and bled for years made her heart ache. It was inhuman, barbaric, and downright evil.
She glared at the book sitting on the desk. Only leather and paper, yet it had caused so much harm. She pushed out of her chair, went to the desk, and stared down at the plain leather cover. She pulled up all her shields before she touched it.
The vision swept her in, overwhelming her as though her shield wasn’t even there. She heard male voices chanting. One voice rose over all of them. It spoke softly and seductively, promising her all kinds of power and longevity if she’d return the book to the Knights of the Dragon.
Sarah tried to release it and was horrified to discover she couldn’t. It was then she understood this object was unlike any she’d ever encountered. The holiness of the Bible had kept the evil at bay, but now that it was free, the volume seemed to be growing in power.
Almost like it was a living entity.
Black tendrils rose from the leather binding. They encircled her wrists and twined around her lower arms. She opened her mouth but no sound came out. Inwardly, she was screaming. She’d never encountered anything this dangerous before. The book seemed intent on consuming her will, bending it to its own wishes.
She thought she heard someone calling her name, but it seemed so distant. She tried to turn toward the sound, but the blackness wouldn’t allow her to move.
Sarah knew she was going to either die or become an instrument of evil.
…
Darius took his brother off speaker and watched as Sarah strode to the desk and glared down at the book. He started to ask his brother a question but changed his mind and hung up on Tarrant when Sarah reached for the leather-bound journal. He started to warn her off, but it was too late.
Her entire body stiffened, and her eyes lost focus the second she wrapped her hands around the faded covering. He knew she was being sucked into one of her visions. She’d probably done this kind of thing dozens of times, but he was uneasy.
He tossed the phone onto the desk. “Sarah?” She didn’t react to his voice at all. He was hesitant to touch her, not sure what kind of effect, if any, it would have on her.
Her breathing sped up and her mouth opened on a silent scream.
Darius called her name but got no response. He grabbed her shoulders and shook her, trying to jolt her out of her vision. Her body was stiff and unyielding. Sweat beaded on her forehead.
A fear unlike any he’d ever known slammed into him. He was losing her. He didn’t question the knowledge or ignore his instincts. He yelled her name and thought he saw a flicker of recognition, but it was quickly gone.
The book was doing this to her.
He reached for the offending item and tried to yank
it out of her hands, but she held on tightly. He didn’t want to hurt Sarah but knew he had to get the book away from her. He wrapped one arm around her waist and grabbed the leather volume with his free hand. Then he pulled.
It was as though they were both magnetized, the attraction was so great. The pulse in her neck fluttered wildly. Her skin took on a waxy cast and dark circles formed beneath her eyes.
The book was killing her.
With one great pull, he yanked it from her hands and tossed it onto the floor. Even though there could be knowledge in there to help him and his brothers, Darius thrust Sarah aside and let his body shift. There wasn’t enough room, and furniture was pushed back or toppled as he grew in size. He reached for his drakon’s fire as soon as the shift was complete. Flames shot out of his mouth and surrounded the book. He’d burn it to a crisp so it could never endanger Sarah again.
The fire raced over the leather cover and danced along its edges, but the damn thing didn’t burn. Darius stopped and studied the smoldering book and the scorched hardwood floors. The edge of the carpet was on fire, so he breathed out a plume of smoke, smothering the blaze.
“Oh my God.”
He turned to Sarah, belatedly wondering if he’d hurt her when he’d tossed her aside. Thankfully, his aim had been true and she’d landed in a chair and not on the floor. “It won’t burn.” She wrapped her arms around herself and rocked slightly back and forth. “It was like it was alive.”
The fear in her eyes had him shifting to his human form. Since he hadn’t removed his clothing before he’d embraced his dragon, the garments had been ripped apart, leaving him naked. “You’re safe,” he promised her. He’d damn well make her safe, no matter what he had to do to achieve his goal.
“You’re naked,” she countered. The small smile playing at the corners of her mouth eased some of his tension.
“So I am.” He crouched by her side and took her icy hand in his. “What happened?”
She shivered and glanced toward the book lying unharmed on the floor. “I wanted to destroy it. I had my mental shields up but got sucked into a vision as soon as I touched it.” Her eyes were bleak when she looked back at him. “Voices. There were voices offering me power and wealth, and then one voice rose over the others.”
Darius’s wanted to torch the book more than ever for what it had done to her. He rubbed her smaller hands in his, but they remained icy cold.
“It was the book.” She looked horrified by her words. “The book is alive, and it’s evil. It wants to be returned to the Knights.”
“There may be some sort of charm or spell to help keep the book in the Knights’ hands.” At this point, he didn’t know what the hell it was. This was going to take research, because if drakon fire couldn’t destroy it, he was out of ideas.
“Most likely it was devised to keep drakons from burning it since it was probably used around your kind.”
That made a perfect kind of sense to him. “You’re probably right.”
She shuddered. “That doesn’t make me feel better. I can’t get warm.” The last was said on a plaintive cry.
Darius stood and lifted Sarah into his arms. He turned his back on the book and carried her out of the study and into his bedroom. He ignored his throbbing erection and his sexual needs. Nothing was more important than taking care of Sarah.
His huge bed mocked him as he passed by, daring him to toss her onto the firm mattress and strip her clothing from her body. He kept going into the adjoining bathroom. A huge soaker tub that could fit three normal-sized people occupied one corner of the room. “A bath will help warm you. You’ve had a shock.” That was putting it mildly.
He deposited her on top of the vanity and started the water running into the tub. He was very aware of her eyes on him as he rummaged through a cabinet and found a bottle of sea salt that Ezra had sent him. He opened it and dumped half of it into the tub.
“What is that?” she asked.
He held up the bottle. “Sea salt. It will help cleanse away any lingering negative energy from the book.”
He wasn’t sure how she’d take that bit of information and was reassured when she smiled. “That’s what my grandmother always said.”
Darius tucked the bottle back in the cabinet. “Wise woman, your grandmother.”
Sarah nodded. “She was.” She dragged her hands through her hair, tousling the thick locks. “I don’t have anything else to wear.”
“I’ll get you a shirt.” The thought of her wearing his clothes made him hard all over.
“Ah, you might want to get something for yourself, too.”
Shit. He’d gotten so caught up in taking care of Sarah, he’d forgotten he was bare-ass naked. “I’ll be back.” He hurried from the room and quickly donned socks, jeans, and a black T-shirt. He detoured into his large closet and plucked out a dress shirt. It fit him perfectly so it would easily cover Sarah.
The light splash of water caught his attention, and he hurried back into the bathroom. His fingers strangled the silk and cotton fabric in his hand when he caught sight of her curled up in the corner of his tub. Her slender arms were wrapped around her knees and her head was bent forward. She was wet and naked and shaking.
The last kicked aside all other thoughts. He tossed the shirt onto the counter and knelt by the side of the tub. Water lapped up near the top of the porcelain, so he turned off the taps.
She turned her head and looked at him. Her chocolate-brown eyes were the only color in her otherwise pale face. Even her lips weren’t as rosy as they normally were.
“The darkness, the evil from the book was trying to get inside me.”
Fury at the Knights, at their power-hungry, grasping souls, bubbled up inside him, but he allowed none of that to show. Sarah needed calm, not anger. “How?”
She tightened her arms around her knees. “It was like black tendrils wrapping around my wrists and climbing up my arms. I tried to drop the book, tried to yell for help, but I couldn’t do anything. I was helpless.” Her lips quivered, but she didn’t cry.
Darius shook his head. He wanted to banish the fear and the defeated look from her eyes. “Not helpless. You held the evil at bay until I was able to free you.”
Steam rose around them. He reached out and brushed aside several strands of hair that were stuck to her forehead. She shivered and seemed to lean into his touch. He did his best to ignore the swell of her breasts and the curve of her hip, but at the same time he wished she’d uncurl from the tight ball she had herself in so he could see all of her.
“Soak until you feel better.” He wanted to stay with her, but there were things he needed to do. Plus, he wasn’t certain if his presence was a comfort or if he was only making her more nervous. “I’ll be back to check on you, but stay as long as you want.”
Sarah grabbed his wrist as he stood. “Don’t touch it. Don’t touch the book, not unless I’m with you.” Her fear was palpable, and he found himself nodding just to calm her.
“I won’t,” he promised.
She relaxed slightly and slowly released him. He wanted to strip off his clothes and climb into the tub with her. Instead, he made himself leave and head back to the study. The book was still on the floor. He ignored it and reached for the phone he’d tossed aside.
His brother answered on the first ring. “What the hell is going on?” Tarrant demanded. “And just who the hell is that woman with you?”
“The woman is Sarah Anderson.” He could hear Tarrant’s fingers clicking on his keyboard and knew his brother was already gathering information about her. Tarrant horded information like some men did gold. He used that information to take other men’s money.
“She’s a research librarian with a unique talent.” He told Tarrant about her call earlier this evening, how she’d gotten involved with the Knights, her special skill, and about the book. He told Tarrant everything.
“You’re sure she’s not with the Knights?” he demanded. Darius couldn’t be mad at his brother’s acc
usations since he’d asked himself the same damn question.
“I’m sure. She’s in shock about everything, and I saw what the book did to her.” He heard a splash and then someone moving around and knew Sarah was getting out of the tub. Water would be streaming over her smooth skin, her slender arms, and her plump breasts. He didn’t have a visual of her breasts, but he had a mighty good imagination.
“Are you still there?” his brother demanded.
“Yeah. Sorry.”
“Keep your focus, Darius. You can’t afford to get distracted by some female.”
Darius swallowed back a growl. He hated that his brother was right. “I don’t know how to destroy the book. Fire has no effect whatsoever.”
That gave Tarrant pause. “Let me do some research.”
“I imagine Sarah will want to do some as well.” It would be interesting to see who found out the most, Sarah or his brother.
“Keep her off the internet. Temple probably has hackers on staff, people who monitor certain sites and take note of the people who visit.”
“They can do that?” Darius was continually surprised at how invasive technology was. A man’s life and secrets were no longer his own.
“Of course they can. I do it all the time.” Tarrant took a deep breath. Darius could easily imagine his brother rolling his eyes at him. “Just keep her offline. I’ll handle the searches.”
“And they won’t find you?”
Tarrant snorted. “All my signals bounce around the world before eventually ending at a remote military site in the middle of a desert. No one has ever gotten anywhere near to tracking it that far.”
“How is that even possible?” Darius was no expert when it came to technology, but even he knew that should be difficult, if not downright impossible.
Tarrant snorted again. “Don’t ask.”
Darius knew his brother took precautions, but this struck him as just a little obsessive. “Let me know when you find something.”
Drakon's Promise (Blood of the Drakon) Page 10