“He wants to know more about me.” She understood Tarrant more than he probably thought she did. “He thinks I’m with the Knights.” She’d rather have it all out in the open than play games.
“It’s not the questioning. I expect that from him.”
Tarrant slapped his hand on his chest. “I’m wounded.”
“I doubt that.” Darius wrapped his arm around her shoulders again. “It’s the wind. He’s the one making it colder around you.”
“He can do that?” It was mind-blowing to think that anyone could control the wind. “Is it all the weather or just the wind?” she asked. Her curious mind wanted to know everything.
“Fuck, Darius. Why’d you tell her that?”
“Don’t blame me. You’re the one who’s blowing cold air.”
Sarah couldn’t stop the smile that spread across her face at their bickering. Yup, they were definitely brothers.
Tarrant threw his hands in the air and stomped up the two steps to the porch. He pushed the front door open and went inside. She was surprised it wasn’t locked, but then again, he was so isolated, who was going to break in? She definitely wasn’t in the city any longer. She’d never dream of leaving home without securing her three locks.
“Let’s go.” Darius led the way into the house. The interior was as rustic as the exterior. An old sofa in an unfortunate shade of green was matched in ugliness by the flower-covered chair that sat across from it. The stone fireplace could have been lovely if the soot had been washed from it and a cheerful fire had been burning.
It was an open concept, so she could see the kitchen as well. Mismatched cupboards, a woodstove, and a refrigerator that looked like something from the nineteen-fifties outfitted the room. A small table served as a dining area. The floors were wide hardwood boards that would look gorgeous if refinished.
She assumed the closed doors off to the left were the bedroom and bathroom. At least, she hoped there was a bathroom. The thought of having to use the great outdoors did not appeal to her.
“Well?” Tarrant asked.
“It has good bones.” No way was she going to act like a prima donna. She could make do with whatever they had.
“Enough, Tarrant.” Darius shut the door to the cabin. The air was cool, and she shivered in spite of her layers of clothing. She was tired, hungry, and wanted a shower and a cup of coffee, not necessarily in that order. At this moment, she’d take the coffee and be grateful.
Determined to go forward in a positive manner, she dropped her knapsack on the ugly couch and went to the kitchen. “Do you have a coffee maker of some kind? A percolator? Even instant coffee will do.” She lifted the kettle off the stove and went to the pitted metal faucet, praying it actually worked.
“What are you doing?” Darius asked.
“I thought it was kind of obvious. I desperately need a cup of coffee before we discuss whatever it is we need to discuss.”
Tarrant came toward her, his movements graceful for such a large man. Once again, he reminded her of Darius. He took the kettle from her hand and set it back on the cold stove.
“Do you have any wood for the stove?” she asked.
“Follow me,” he told her. Tarrant went to the corner of the kitchen and reached beneath one of the cupboards.
Follow him? Where? There was nothing but a wall…which silently slid back to reveal a set of stairs. “You guys really like your hidden staircases, don’t you?”
Darius grabbed her knapsack before he joined her. “You’ll get used to it.”
That implied she was going to be around for a while. In spite of her resolve to stand on her own two feet, it warmed her that Darius seemed to want her around. It would have been easy for him to leave her behind or deposit her at an airport anywhere in the country.
A little voice in the back of her head reminded her that maybe he’d brought her here so they could interrogate her without anyone hearing her scream. Then logic kicked in. Darius could have done that in his secret room in his apartment and no one would have known, either.
Tarrant disappeared down the staircase. “Come on. I have coffee down here.”
There was really no other choice. That, and the offer of coffee, did it for her. She stepped onto the stairs and headed downward. It couldn’t be any worse than the house above them. Or at least she hoped it couldn’t. For all she knew, he literally lived in a cave beneath the ground. Darius followed close behind, carrying both of their bags. Having him there made her feel safer.
Lights illuminated the stairs, as they had at Darius’s place. Another light shone at the bottom, luring her with its promise of warmth and coffee.
At best, she’d been expecting something similar to Darius’s secret hideaway—a large, cavernous, basically empty room. Never in a million years would she have expected what she walked into.
It was warm for one thing, and bright, in spite of the fact they had to be underground. Water trickled down one exposed rock wall into a fountain below. There wasn’t one, but two large sectional leather sofas dominating one end of the space, situated so they both faced a large flat-screen television. A dark cabinet sat beneath the television and most likely housed other electronic equipment.
All of it was fairly new and none of it set off a warning with her talent. With her mental walls firmly in place, she was safe from accidentally touching the wrong thing and falling into a psychic vision.
Then she saw the kitchen. Like the log cabin above, the floor plan was open concept, but that’s where the similarities ended. This kitchen was a chef’s dream. A large island separated the space. There was an eating bar on one side of the island with four stools. The counter was natural stone in tones of brown. The cupboards were white shaker-style and the floors were gleaming hardwood.
Best of all, there was a state-of-the-art coffee maker on the counter.
Like a sleepwalker in a dream, Sarah stumbled toward the kitchen and the promise of coffee. Tarrant filled a cup and slid it onto the counter. She sat on one of the stools, pulled the cup closer, and lifted it to her lips.
“Do you need sugar?” Tarrant asked.
“Don’t talk to me yet.” She took a sip and exhaled with relief when the hot brew slid down her throat.
“Yes, she needs sugar,” Darius told his brother. “And food.” Seeming very much at home, Darius dumped their bags on the end of the counter, went to one of the cupboards, and took down a sugar bowl. He put it in front of her before digging out a spoon.
“Does this look like a restaurant?” When Darius continued to stare at him, Tarrant relented and opened his massive stainless steel refrigerator. “How about omelets? They’re quick.”
“Anything. Thank you,” she added. Now that she’d had her first taste of coffee and knew she could have more, she added sugar to it and took another sip. Perfect. “I can help. With breakfast or lunch or whatever this is.” They’d passed through several zones, and she wasn’t quite sure what time it was anymore.
“It’s fine,” Tarrant told her. “You look like you’re ready to drop.”
“Yeah, I’ve only had a few hours sleep in the past twenty-four hours.” And it was beginning to really catch up with her now that she finally felt relatively safe.
Taking him at his word, Sarah continued to sip coffee while she watched Darius and Tarrant make omelets. All in all, not a bad way to unwind after the tension of the past day. There was no denying they were both man-candy of the highest caliber. Honestly, there was so much testosterone in the room she began to get hot.
Or it might be because she was still wearing her coat. She took it off and set it on the stool next to her as she watched Darius chop mushrooms and peppers. The room got hotter still, so she pulled off her sweater as well.
“How do you heat this place?” She still couldn’t see any kind of radiator.
“Geothermal.” Tarrant put a large skillet on the six-burner gas range. “Floor ducts.”
She fell silent and continued to watch both men, but most
ly Darius. Once he’d finished chopping, Tarrant added the vegetables to the eggs he’d cracked and beaten and started making omelets.
Darius came around the counter and sat beside her. He cupped her face in his large palm, and she wanted to close her eyes and lean into it. Instead, she lifted her mug and had another shot of coffee.
“How you holding up?” he asked.
“I’m fine.” In spite of the fact her life was destroyed and she had a crazy bunch of people searching for her, she was feeling better than she had since she’d left work. She and Darius had done it. They’d escaped from the Knights, at least for now.
When Darius leaned inward, so did she. Their lips had barely met when Tarrant slapped two plates on the counter. Sarah jerked back and met Tarrant’s glare.
“Breakfast is ready.”
…
Herman Temple was working at his desk when his assistant buzzed him. “What is it, Victoria?”
“Your son to see you, sir.”
He wasn’t surprised Christian had shown up. “Send him in.”
“Yes, sir.”
The door to his office opened and Christian strode in, looking as fit as ever. Herman narrowed his gaze. Christian wasn’t showing the effects of the loss of dragon’s blood as much as he was. Did his son have a secret stash of it somewhere? Although by now, the potency would be gone. The sad fact was that dragon’s blood was only good when it was fresh. It had a very short shelf life.
“Any word?” No hello, no nothing. Straight to business. Sometimes his son was too much like him for comfort.
Herman leaned back in his chair. “Not yet.” He waited until Christian was seated before he continued. “We lost the signal for Sarah’s phone. We assume it was destroyed.”
“Damn.” Christian began tapping his fingers on his knee. No, not tapping. Shaking. So his son wasn’t as healthy as he pretended. That was a reassurance.
“They have to surface at some point. I have people monitoring all the major airports, train stations, and bus terminals across the country, every car rental, and every car dealership. If they get transportation of any kind, we’ll find them.”
“We need to bring in the military.” Christian jumped to his feet and began to pace. “We need Varkas, and we need him now.”
“No military. Not yet, at any rate.”
Christian swung around to face him. “Why not? They can find a needle in a haystack with the resources at their disposal.”
“She doesn’t want them involved.” That shut his son up. “Karina called earlier this morning and was not pleased we’d let Varkas slip through our fingers.” Herman stood and walked around to the front of his desk. “She wants Varkas found and contained, and she wants to be here when it happens.”
Karina Azarov was the current leader of the Knights of the Dragon. A member of her family had founded the Knights centuries ago, and there had always been a female from her family at the helm. They had more knowledge about dragons than any other family in the world, and they guarded it with a zealousness that was unnerving. He might be ruthless, but Karina Azarov scared even him.
Christian paled and headed for the door. “Let me know if you hear anything.”
Herman waited until his son was gone before retaking his seat and picking up his pen. He tapped it against the pad of paper that sat on his desk His son was becoming a bit too ambitious for Herman’s peace of mind. It might be time to do something about that.
He put pen to paper and began to compose a letter to the leader of the Knights.
Chapter Fifteen
Darius offhandedly wondered if he could recapture the mood between him and Sarah if he killed his brother. One look at her told him that opportunity had passed. Resigned to eating breakfast instead of carrying her to one of the bedrooms, he picked up his fork and dug into the omelet. He was starving.
He emptied his plate in short order. Beside him, Sarah did the same. The more she ate, the better her color got. That was good. She was going to need all the strength she could get in the coming days and weeks.
“So where is it?” Tarrant asked.
Darius canted his head toward his knapsack. He knew his brother was curious about the book. Darius was surprised he’d held off asking about it this long.
Tarrant opened the knapsack and pulled out the carved wooden box that contained the book. Darius could feel the power humming from inside.
“Ah, should he be doing that?” There was real concern in Sarah’s voice. “That thing is dangerous.”
“It will be fine,” he promised her. “Won’t it, Tarrant?” The warning was there, and his brother had better heed it.
Tarrant carefully set the box on the counter and slowly opened the lid. “I’m not stupid, Darius.” Both annoyance and excitement tinged his voice.
“I’m not stupid when it comes to my talent, and it almost overwhelmed me,” she reminded him.
She pushed aside her plate and slid off her stool. The skin beneath her eyes looked almost bruised with fatigue, but she was alert and ready to fight, all her attention on that damn book. The worry in her gaze almost brought him to his knees.
“Caution,” he reminded his brother when Tarrant reached for the book.
“Right.” Tarrant stopped reaching for the manuscript and inhaled sharply before blowing out a deep breath. The air fluttered the pages. He did it again and again until the air built around the object. Then he waved his hands like he was conducting a symphony. The book rose out of the box and floated to the counter.
“Wow.” When Sarah instinctively moved toward Tarrant, Darius wrapped his arms around her and pulled her back against his chest.
“No.” He didn’t want her anywhere near that damn book after the last time.
His brother waved his hand again, and the pages of the manuscript fluttered open. Tarrant studied a page before waving his hand over the book. The page quivered and then slowly turned.
“You must be a wind drakon.”
Darius didn’t like the admiration in Sarah’s voice or the way she was watching Tarrant. “Air drakon,” he corrected.
“My brother the earth drakon gets jealous of my abilities.” It was an old joke, but Darius wasn’t laughing. Not today.
Sarah seemed startled for a moment, and then she smiled. Darius realized that Tarrant had confirmed they were brothers. That meant he’d decided to trust Sarah.
“In your dreams, Tarrant. I’m much stronger.” He shut his mouth before he said something even more stupid. He was acting like a child, which was extremely lowering, considering his age.
Tarrant, as always, decided to poke at him. “I fear he lacks finesse and is a more blundering sort of drakon.”
Mine. Mine. Mine.
Rage started to build inside Darius, and he had to remind himself that he loved his brother and would never knowingly harm him. Although, right now he wanted to tear him limb from limb for daring to flirt with his Sarah.
Darius was getting hotter, the fire building deep inside. Sarah covered his hands where they were locked around her waist. “Are you okay?” That simple question, along with her touch, allowed him to gain control.
“I’m just worried about my idiot brother.”
Tarrant wasn’t paying him any attention. All his concentration was on the book. “There is so much here,” he murmured. “So much blood spilled for the secrets hidden on these pages.”
He knew what his brother must be feeling. The same fury lived in him. To think of the other drakons, possibly even friends, who’d suffered at the hands of the Knights in order for them to obtain some of that information was enough to make Darius want to set the world aflame.
When friends disappeared, Darius was never sure if it was because they’d chosen to go into the Deep Sleep, if they’d simply dropped off the grid, or if the Knights had captured or killed them.
“Fire won’t destroy it,” he reminded Tarrant. “I’ve tried.”
“No, this thing is pure evil and is protected by the drakon b
lood that has been spilled on it.” Tarrant’s eyes were tortured when he looked up. “That isn’t ink.”
Sarah gasped and swayed. “No.”
Tarrant nodded. “It’s drakon blood.”
Every muscle in Darius’s body turned to stone. He clenched his jaw so hard it was a wonder the bone didn’t snap under the pressure.
Sarah sucked in a breath and pushed at his hands. He was holding her too tightly. He was hurting her. He released her and whirled her around so she was facing him. Her skin was pale, but her gaze was steady.
“Did I hurt you?” He didn’t wait for an answer and tugged up the shirt she was wearing. She batted at his hands and tried to cover her bare stomach, but he would not be denied. “I don’t see any bruises.”
“You didn’t hurt me.” She grabbed his wrists and pulled them away. The shirt, his shirt, fell, covering her once again. “You just started to squeeze me a little hard there for a second. You were upset, and rightfully so.”
Sarah turned her attention to the book. “What do we do with it? How do we destroy it?”
Darius looked into his brother’s eyes and knew Tarrant was as stumped as he was. “It’s the drakon blood that protects the book,” Darius told her. “Only a drakon’s own fire can destroy his blood, which is why the drakon you saw in your vision was able to burn from the inside out and incinerate himself.”
Tarrant used air currents once again to lift the book up and return it to the wooden box. Once it was safely inside, he floated the cover back into place. “It’s some sort of evolutionary protection.” Tarrant leaned on the counter and smiled at Sarah. “Drakons can’t harm other drakons with their fire.”
“But they can beat the hell out of one another,” Darius reminded his brother.
Tarrant’s smile only deepened. “I need to do some research to try to figure this out.” He picked up his plate and carried it to the sink. “In the meantime, why don’t you two get some rest?”
“You won’t try to do anything on your own, will you?” Sarah nibbled on her bottom lip. Darius wanted to lick the small hurt she inflicted.
Drakon's Promise (Blood of the Drakon) Page 15