Drakon's Promise (Blood of the Drakon)

by N. J. Walters

  “What is it?” Darius stood and went to look over his brother’s shoulder.

  “I emailed a certain priest I know about the book.”

  “You told him about the book?” Darius wasn’t sure he approved. “Can he be trusted?”

  “Yes.” The word was clipped, and there was no mistaking the underlying anger.

  “I trust your judgment, but it’s not just me involved, Tarrant.”

  “Ah, the little woman.” Tarrant tapped a few keys and the bedroom suddenly appeared on the screen. Sarah was sprawled peacefully across the bed with the covers tucked tightly around her.

  “You didn’t have that screen on earlier, did you?” Darius didn’t want to kill his brother, but might have no choice if he’d seen Sarah naked.

  Tarrant snorted. “As if I want to see your bare ass. No thank you. I thought you might like to keep an eye on her.”

  Darius blew out a breath and raked his fingers through his hair. He knew he was acting slightly irrational but couldn’t help it. “I need to work off some steam.”

  “I can help you with that as soon as I finish here.”

  “Did your priest have any suggestions?” Somebody had to know how to destroy the damn book.

  Tarrant scrolled through the email. “As a matter of fact, he did. He suggests performing an exorcism on the book while burning it with the fire from a sanctified candle and dousing the ashes in holy water.”

  “Why an exorcism?”

  “Because the book seems to be possessed in some manner, almost sentient. We need to drive it out or negate its power.”

  “And what if that exorcism ends up being a way to trap one of us.” Darius prowled around the room, mulling over the logistics and possible outcomes. “I know you trust this priest, but the Knights have a way of persuading people.”

  Tarrant typed a quick reply before spinning around to face Darius. “Father Simon Babineaux is sixty years old. I saved his life when he was only a boy. I offered him my blood when he was in his forties. He refused. Not because he feared or loathed what I was, but because he values our friendship more.”

  Darius felt like an idiot. “I’m sorry. I know better than to question your judgment.”

  Tarrant’s mouth fell open for a second and then slammed shut. “Now I’m scared.”

  “What?” Darius scowled.

  “You apologizing has to be a sign of the end of days.”

  “Shut up, smart-ass.”

  Tarrant stood and slapped Darius on the back. “Come on, old man. I know what you need.”

  Darius elbowed his younger brother. “Old man, my ass.”

  Tarrant merely laughed. “I’m not an expert, but your ass does look old.”

  He tried not to join in, but he couldn’t hold back his laughter. It was a very familiar joke between them. Tarrant often taunted him because he was older by three whole months.

  Tarrant tugged on the T-shirt Darius was wearing. “I see you found your way into my closet.”

  “Yeah, thanks for the loan.”

  “What do you plan to do about clothing for the little woman?”

  “Stop calling her that. Her name is Sarah.” He took one last glance at the screen. She was still sleeping deeply. Some of his agitation settled as soon as he saw her.

  They went through the security protocols and stepped into the elevator. Tarrant crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the wall. “You’ve got it bad. This isn’t like you.” Teasing time was over and Tarrant was deadly serious.

  “I know.” He tried to find a way to explain his connection to Sarah, which wasn’t easy because he didn’t understand it himself. “I feel her here.” He touched his chest. “My beast wants to protect her above anything else. The only reason I can be away from her is I know she’s safe.”

  “Shit.” Tarrant rubbed his hand over his jaw. “Let me think about this.”

  Neither of them spoke again until they were back in the hallway with the bedrooms. “Any ideas?” Darius asked.

  “Yeah. One.”

  Darius raised an eyebrow in silent question.

  Tarrant led the way to a door just down from his bedroom. Darius smiled and followed his brother.

  …

  Sarah woke suddenly. She bolted upright in bed and tried to calm her ragged breathing. “It was just a dream,” she assured herself. No one was lurking in the shadows waiting to kill her, at least not at the moment. She was safe in a drakon’s lair.

  She was also alone. It was disconcerting to wake up in a strange bed and not even know what time of the day or night it was. She had no idea how long she’d slept.

  “Shower first.” She slid out of bed, wincing at the slight twinge between her thighs. “That part wasn’t a dream.” She’d really had sex with Darius. Amazing sex. Unforgettable sex. Unprotected sex. Yes, she was on birth control, but she’d missed her pill this morning.

  “Don’t borrow trouble.” She grabbed the shirt she’d pilfered from Darius’s closet back at his apartment and pulled it on. She needed a shower and clean clothes.

  The attached bathroom was like something out of a magazine. The stone-tiled walls, heated floor, and granite countertop didn’t seem out of place in spite of the fact it was in an underground home.

  She dumped the shirt and stepped into the shower, not lingering, even though she wanted to. She had no idea where Darius was, or even if he was still here. The last thought gave her a jolt and made her rush through washing her hair. She ended up with soap in her eyes for her effort and swore at Darius and all men as she thoroughly rinsed.

  She dried off and wrapped one towel around her body and used another one to dry her hair. Thankfully, it was short and she didn’t need a hair dryer. A few swipes with the towel and some finger combing made it presentable. She didn’t have any makeup with her beyond the lipstick in her knapsack, and that was still in the living area as far as she knew.

  The discarded shirt lay on the tiles, but she didn’t want to put it on again. She didn’t have clean underwear, either. Keeping a tight hold on the towel, she padded to the bedroom door and opened it a crack.

  No one called out a greeting—or a warning, either, for that matter. She went down the hallway to the next door. It was open to reveal another bedroom. Even though it was sparse, it had a lived-in feeling about it.

  The floor was warm against her feet, but she felt vulnerable wearing only a towel. She ignored the twinge of guilt that assailed her when she opened a dresser drawer. It contained men’s socks. She grabbed a pair of white gym socks and pulled them on. The heel went partway up the back of her leg but it was better than bare feet.

  The closet beckoned, so she explored there next. Sure enough, it was filled with clothing. She decided on a soft cotton sweater and a pair of sweatpants. The sleeves of the sweater fell well past her hands, and she folded them back until they finally hit her wrists. The sweatpants had a drawstring, which she pulled tight. Then she rolled up the bottoms of the legs until she had thick cuffs on both sides.

  She knew she must look ridiculous, but she didn’t care. She was warm, but more importantly, she was covered. Darius might have seen her naked—her face heated as she left Tarrant’s bedroom—okay, he’d done a whole lot more than see her naked. He’d touched her all over, using his tongue and lips on the most sensitive parts of her body. A shiver raced down her spine and her nipples peaked, rubbing against the sweater.

  “Stop thinking about it.” Of course, telling herself to do something and actually doing it were two different things altogether. She crossed her arms over her chest and headed toward the kitchen. A cup of coffee would help.

  Something made her stop and listen. There was no sound coming from the kitchen area, but she’d heard something. If they were down in Tarrant’s computer lab, she was out of luck. No way could she get in there on her own.

  But there was another doorway on the opposite side of the corridor. It was rude to go poking around in someone else’s home. She ignored the fact that
she’d already raided the man’s clothes closet. That had been a necessity. This was nothing more than curiosity.

  She heard another sound. It was a cross between a grunt and a thump. Had the Knights found them? Sarah hurried to the door and shoved it open. It opened onto a landing and a set of stairs. She hurried down, holding on to the rail so she didn’t slip in her stocking feet.

  She was almost at the bottom when a huge body went flying by. Literally. She gasped and sat down hard on the stairs. The room was enormous, about four stories high, and the length of several football fields. The walls were rock. It seemed to be a natural cave that had been enlarged. But that wasn’t what held her spellbound. No, that was the two magnificent drakons currently facing off against one another.

  She recognized Darius immediately by the metallic bronze scales covering his large body. The other drakon was around the same size, his body covered in silver scales. Both had wedge-shaped heads, long tails, and massive wings.

  Darius whirled around as soon as she made a sound. That allowed the other drakon to smash into him and send him sprawling. “No.” She jumped to her feet, determined to protect Darius, which was totally stupid, because—duh—he was fighting another drakon.

  What had happened while she’d been sleeping? Had they fought over the book? Over her being here?

  She pounded down the stairs as Darius roared and threw himself at his brother. Tarrant evaded rather than fighting back.

  Had they been sparring? Maybe they’d only been playing around, like a sport or something. She couldn’t picture them slapping on a pair of skates and playing hockey, but fighting, yeah, she could easily see how that would appeal.

  Only Darius seemed a little more serious about the situation than Tarrant did. Was that because she was there?

  “Darius.” She called his name, but he ignored her. “Hey, Darius. Over here.” She cautiously padded over to where he’d cornered his brother. She needed her head examined getting between two brothers, let alone two drakons, but she’d seen the affection the two had for each other. And as someone who’d never really had one for herself, she knew the value of family.

  She slapped his flank. Damn, hitting him was like smacking the side of a tank. He whirled and gave her the most incredulous look. “If you’re finished beating up your brother could we talk?”

  The air around him shimmered, like a living rainbow, and then Darius was standing there. A very naked, very unhappy Darius.

  He caught her by her shoulders and gave her a light shake. “Don’t ever get between two drakons that are fighting. Do you have any idea how dangerous that is?”

  She shook her head. “It didn’t look that serious to me. It looked more like you getting tossed around.” When the other drakon snickered, she gave him a pointed glare. “At least he didn’t run like you did.”

  The silver drakon frowned and smoke billowed from his nostrils, but Darius chuckled. “He did run, didn’t he?”

  The other drakon shimmered, and then a very naked Tarrant was standing next to them. Holy smokes, these guys were built like gods. His tattoo was similar to Darius’s, only it was silver and outlined in the same icy-blue color as his eyes. While she could appreciate Tarrant, only Darius made her heart speed up and her insides tingle.

  “I didn’t want to beat him up and make him look like a loser in front of you. Obviously, that was an error on my part.”

  Sarah laughed. She couldn’t help herself. The entire situation was absurd. “I need coffee.” She started back toward the stairs and waited when both men paused to pull on their clothing, which was stacked neatly by the exit.

  “Thanks for the loan of the clothes,” she told Tarrant.

  He finished yanking on his T-shirt before running his gaze over her. “You’re welcome.” There was a tinge of sarcasm in his voice, a subtle reminder that she’d intruded where she hadn’t a right.

  “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have entered your room without permission, but there was no one around.” She had invaded his private space when he’d opened his home to them. It wasn’t well done of her. “Truly, I am sorry.”

  Tarrant studied her for several long seconds and then nodded. “No harm done.” She wasn’t so sure about that, but she was grateful he was willing to let it go.

  Darius put his hand on the small of her back. His heat penetrated the cotton sweater she wore. “His clothes never looked this good on him.”

  Tarrant snorted and started up the stairs. She and Darius followed behind. “Were you afraid when you woke? I shouldn’t have left you.” He rubbed his hand over her spine. He always seemed to be touching her in little ways and, God help her, she loved it. Affection had been sparse in her childhood, and she soaked up every little sign of his caring. She worried she was too needy, too open and vulnerable.

  She hurried up the steps, breaking the contact. “I’m fine. I’ve lost all sense of time, but I’m feeling much better.”

  Darius picked up his pace and his hand landed on her back once again. “Are you sure you’re all right? You seem upset.”

  Of course she was upset. Her entire life was a mess. Her entire reality was skewed. And she was really attracted to a mythical creature who would be alive long after she was dust. “We had unprotected sex,” she blurted out and then groaned. She hadn’t meant to be quite that blunt, but the issue had to be dealt with.

  Darius pulled her to a stop on the top landing. She was grateful Tarrant was long gone. He did not need to hear this conversation.

  “You can’t become pregnant.”

  She frowned. “Why not? Your father and other dragons came to this world and got human females pregnant. Can’t you do the same?”

  Darius crowded her until her back was against the wall and he was looming over her. “My father and his fellow dragons got women pregnant because they wanted it to happen. A dragon—and therefore a drakon—decides when it wants to procreate. Then, if conditions are right, the female will end up with child.”

  “You mean you could get me pregnant without my approval.” That didn’t sound fair at all.

  “According to lore, two dragons must agree before such a thing can happen, so it’s really up to the female dragon. When only one dragon or drakon is involved with a female of another species, he has only to make the decision. If the woman is fertile, pregnancy will occur.

  She glared at him. “You better not decide to be a father any time soon.” The last thing she needed was an unplanned pregnancy on top of everything else.

  He jerked back as if she’d struck him. “I would not do such a thing. I have no sons.” Then the expression in his eyes turned sad. “Would it be such a terrible thing to bear my child?”

  Chapter Eighteen

  Darius had thought himself hardened, immune to any puny hurt a human could mete out to him. He’d been wrong. Sarah cut him to the core with her demand he not get her with child. And still he wanted her.

  Her hair was damp from her shower and her face devoid of makeup. Dressed as she was in Tarrant’s oversize clothes, she should have looked ridiculous. Instead, she was adorable, and sexy as all get out. The baggy sweater made him want to slide his hands beneath it to discover if she was wearing a bra.

  “No, it’s not that,” she began and then stopped. “The topic is irrelevant. The last thing we need is to worry about an unplanned pregnancy. I’m fighting for my life here, and so are you.”

  “Would you bear my child?” He should let it go. That would be the smart thing to do. He’d never cared about having a child before, never trusted a human female enough to even consider sharing his secrets with her. But Sarah already knew he was a drakon, knew the danger surrounding him.

  “Darius.” Her voice softened slightly. “We’ve been thrown together in a dangerous situation. Ours is not what anyone would call a normal relationship.” She patted his chest. “We have much bigger problems to handle right now. This is not the time or the place to even be contemplating if we should or shouldn’t have a child.”

/>   He didn’t like what she was saying even though he knew she was right. He wanted her to want to have his child, which made no sense. They barely knew each other and there were perilous days ahead. Maybe that was what made the idea of having a child so appealing. He would be leaving a part of himself behind in case he was captured or killed.

  “You didn’t answer my question.”

  “You know, for a man who’s lived as long as you have, you’re dumb as bricks about some things.” Sarah took a deep breath. “If I manage to survive this war I’ve found myself in the middle of, I’d like to have a child. But since I’m not hopeful of that outcome, the last thing I’m thinking about, or even want right now, is to become pregnant. Is that clear enough?”

  “It’s very clear.” Darius leaned down and nuzzled Sarah’s neck where the collar of the sweater dipped down to expose her smooth white skin. He growled when he caught a whiff of Tarrant’s soap. Yes, that was the only soap available to her, but that didn’t mean he could be rational about it. He wanted his scent on her skin, not his brother’s.

  He ran his fingertips down the side of her cheek. “Were you trying to protect me from my brother?” His blood ran cold at the thought of Sarah running into the midst of two battling drakons, but another part of him was filled with pride and a smug sense of satisfaction that she cared enough to do such a thing.

  “Men.” The word was infused with a deep sense of frustration. Darius found himself smiling in spite of himself.

  Sarah whirled around and yanked open the door. “We’re done.”

  He reached out and shoved the door shut before she could step out into the hallway.

  “What are you doing?” She put her hands on his chest but didn’t push him away.

  “I’m kissing you.” He rubbed his lips over hers and then dragged his tongue over her plump bottom lip. The fire inside him threatened to overheat and explode. Sarah made a mockery of any sense of self-control he had.

  Her breathing quickened to little puffs of air on his skin. He groaned and took her mouth, needing to taste her. Her fingernails dug into his biceps when she grabbed hold of him. He stilled, wondering if she wanted him to stop. Then she went up on her toes and deepened their kiss.