She gripped the man’s hand as she shook her head. “No. I mean, yes, but only because I hurt some of them.”
Timothy’s bushy white brows lifted and he glanced fleetingly at Rayer. “Did you now?”
She bowed her head. “I didn’t know what I was doing. I just acted on…”
“Instinct?” asked Timothy.
Alondra lifted her head. “Yes. I didn’t know I could do that. I don’t think I could do it again.”
“If you needed to, you would be able to,” said Timothy with a grin. “I’m sure of it.”
The man’s line of people had witches in it as far back as he could trace. That was why he’d been drawn to Rayer to start with, and why he’d never been afraid of what Rayer was or what he could do.
“I’m so tired,” confessed Alondra. “I can’t go home. They know where I live. They ripped my apartment apart. I think they were looking for all the journals.”
“What journals?” asked Timothy.
Alondra didn’t reply, but she did glance down at her bag near her feet.
Rayer knew then she had something the men were after. He didn’t care about journals. He only cared about her. She was precious.
Precious?
He staggered backward and bumped a side table, making a vase full of flowers rock and then nearly fall. He caught it with one hand, righting it at once. When he looked up, he found Alondra watching his actions carefully.
He wanted to offer her words of encouragement. Something to set her mind at ease. “You will stay here, with me. Think of leaving and there will be hell to pay.”
She jerked in the seat, nearly knocking over her mug of hot chocolate.
Timothy groaned. “Mr. Drackos.”
Rayer released the vase and took a deep breath, hoping to calm his beast side. “I mean, you are welcome to stay here. With me.”
As her lips began to tremble, he feared she’d cry because of him. He wanted to cover the short distance between them and hold her close. That urge alone kept him rooted in place. He wasn’t the type of man who offered anyone comfort, yet he had held her already, and wanted to do so again.
The smallest of smiles broke over her face, and he realized she was laughing at him. “Thank you.”
“You’re not afraid of him?” asked Timothy, still holding her hand.
“No. I don’t know why. He’s loaded, and rich men have long reaches. He’s huge. Look at him. He has to be at least six and a half feet tall. And he looks like he could lift this table with one hand. He did offer to eat annoying kids. That was, uh, nice? Plus, he glares a lot, but…I don’t know. Something about him makes me trust him, and I don’t even know him.”
“Good,” said Timothy, standing slowly and coming toward Rayer. “A word in the lobby, Mr. Drackos.”
Rayer followed the man out.
Timothy rounded on him, poking him in the chest. “Control your dragon and your temper around her. That girl needs your help and your protection. She’s been infected with aemaemurous demon toxins.”
The blood drained from Rayer’s face. Aemaemurous demons were rare, and lethal to humans and most supernaturals. Dragon shifters had a natural-born immunity to them. It was then he realized what the sickly-sweet smell had been: the aemaemurous toxin oozing from her wounds. “How is it she still breathes?”
“Sheer luck maybe, or something else,” said Timothy, sounding as if he knew far more than he was letting on. “She is weakened from them. She requires rest, and we will have to monitor her closely for the next few days to be sure she does not take a turn for the worse.”
“Old friend, you speak in more riddles than my ancestors, who are famous for them,” stated Rayer, moving closer to Timothy. He would break him if he did not explain it all at once. Alondra could not be permitted to die. “Tell me what you sense on her, and how do I rid her of the toxins? How is it she did not instantly give in to your magik push? You will tell me now!”
“Sir, the hot chocolate has something in it that should help with the toxins. I’ll need to brew more to be added to other drinks, but for now, that should at least help her to rest and to stop the bleeding somewhat,” said Timothy, always showing respect, even though Rayer had told him years ago to simply call him by his first name. “Calm the dragon. It wishes to protect her, as do you, but it will drive her away if you’re not careful.”
Drive her away?
No!
She couldn’t leave him.
He stepped back, confused by his reactions to the woman. She was basically a stranger to him, yet he wanted to rush away with her and allow no others to ever look upon her. He wanted to keep her as his own.
“Convince her to stay with me. You are welcome to stay with me as well if it sets her mind at ease. She trusts you.”
Timothy smiled. “I remind her of her grandfather. I got that feeling from her. But there is something else. Something else that ties us, but I don’t know what just yet.”
“What does that mean?” he demanded.
“All will reveal itself in time, Rayer.”
Chapter Four
Alondra walked with shaky steps behind Rayer as he opened the door to his penthouse. Timothy stayed close by her side. She wasn’t sure why she’d agreed to stay, let alone stay with Rayer, but she’d found herself saying yes when presented with the option. Rayer had her jacket, her bloody sweater, and her bag. She felt strange letting the bag be held by another, but she trusted the man.
As they entered Rayer’s home, Alondra’s jaw dropped. Just inside, to her left, was a long granite table with a bust of what looked like a Greek goddess upon it. The table alone probably cost more than all the furniture in her tiny apartment. She didn’t even want to guess at how much the bust cost. She could barely afford a place that fit her in the city, let alone anything this ornate. The guy didn’t just own one heck of a penthouse; he owned the entire building. From her research, more than one building in the city.
The man sneezed money.
She barely made rent on her crappy apartment in a sketchy section of the city. And that was now ruined as well. What little she had possessed was in pieces thanks to the mayor and his men.
Rayer stepped into a large dining area and put her jacket on the back of a chair. He laid her sweater on the table as if he didn’t care if blood got on it. Then he placed her bag on the floor. When he returned to the foyer, he stood directly in front of her. “Come. Timothy can assist in drawing you a bath. He is, uh, better at this than me,” said Rayer uncomfortably.
Without thought, Alondra reached out and touched his steely forearm. Heat flared once more. She didn’t react. “I think you’re good at whatever this is as well. You did insist I stay here.”
He stared at her, and then stepped out of the way, allowing Timothy to lead. She followed the older man and Rayer fell into step behind her. She considered stopping just so Rayer would run into her with his hot, hard body. The idea of him pressed against her backside brought on a slew of depraved thoughts.
She’d read books and seen movies. She wasn’t totally naïve in the ways of sex, and she knew Rayer would be one hell of a lay. Starting with him might be a bad idea. How could other males ever possibly live up to a billionaire with a body like his?
She slowed as Timothy did. Rayer did not. His body formed to hers, and it was easy to picture them doing the very same thing minus the clothing.
His hands found her shoulders, and he stayed pressed to her. “My apologies,” he whispered.
She didn’t want to separate from him. He didn’t seem in a hurry to move from her either. She’d heard the rumors about him—that he liked women the way she liked a good book and a pint of ice cream.
A lot.
Though no one could name any woman he’d actually been with. Only rumors of his prowess.
“Mr. Drackos, thank you for letting me stay here tonight.”
“Call me Rayer,” he stressed as they followed Timothy into a huge bedroom.
She cleared her thro
at. “Rayer.”
“Do you belong to another?” he asked abruptly.
Timothy glanced over his shoulder and then rolled his eyes at Rayer.
She paused, caught off guard by the question. “I’m sorry, what?”
“Have you a husband, a boyfriend, or a significant other?” asked Rayer.
“No.”
He seemed pleased by the response.
“Do you have a significant other?” she blurted.
A slow, sexy smile spread across his face. “No. Not yet. Soon though.”
Her chest tightened. He was taken. Figures.
“How old are you?” he asked, steering the questioning back to her once more. “You do not look very old.”
“Mr. Drackos,” said Timothy. “It’s not polite to ask a woman her age.”
“It is if you do not want to be brought up on charges,” responded Rayer. “Laws today are not what they used to be.”
Alondra blinked. “I’m, um, twenty-four. Almost twenty-five.”
“Good,” he said.
Timothy groaned. “If you wouldn’t mind stepping out, I’ll get Alondra settled in and then phone my friend, the nurse. She’ll be able to assist.”
“I don’t want to be any more trouble,” said Alondra.
Rayer puffed out his chest. “You are no trouble. Sit. Stay.”
“She is not a puppy, sir.” Timothy gave him a hard look.
Rayer grunted. “Sorry. Please sit. Please stay.”
Chapter Five
Alondra laughed softly, and the sound made his chest ache for more. He reached out, his fingers skimming over her smooth cheek. She was so beautiful. He longed to be permitted unlimited access to her. He wanted to learn every curve of her body. And he wanted to do so without the help of his risbrosius. He wanted to know she came to him unaffected by anything—that she wanted him as he wanted her.
She put her hand over his and stared up at him, her deep brown eyes wide. “Thank you for this. For everything.”
“You have but to ask, and whatever you wish to have in this world is yours,” he said, bending, the urge to be closer to her all-consuming.
She went to her tiptoes, and he waited, expecting her to kiss his lips. When she planted a chaste kiss on his cheek, he had to fight the urge to smile. He wanted far more from her, but understood the gesture was a large one on her part. She was opening slowly to him, and he knew she’d be worth the wait.
“I will be close, should you have need of me.”
“Thank you.” She squeezed his hand then kissed his cheek again, this time closer to his lips.
His entire body lit with a need that he had to seize hold of, for fear he’d lose control and ravish her. Rayer nodded and stood tall, his gaze whipping to Timothy for assistance.
Timothy sprang into action, moving much faster than a man his age should. He eased Alondra away from Rayer, in the direction of the master bathroom. “Come, child.”
Rayer used the moment to rush out of the room, needing distance between himself and the tempting beauty.
Timothy had taken her to Rayer’s room. His sleeping chambers, not one of the guest rooms. He knew the man had done so on purpose, and he was thankful for it. It meant Alondra’s scent would be on his sheets and all over his room. He wanted to roll in her scent, to cover his body in it while he, in turn, covered her body with his scent.
Concerned that something was off with himself and his dragon side, he did the first thing that came to mind—he went for his cell phone and called Zarek.
His cousin answered on the third ring. “Rayer? My phone says this is you calling, but that cannot be. You have never called me. Are you hurt? You didn’t burn down a city, did you? That’s not such a great thing for one of our family to do—again.”
Rayer moved in the direction of his room once more, wanting to be closer to Alondra. He stopped just outside the door, leaving it closed, knowing Timothy was getting Alondra settled in. “No.”
“Then what is it?”
He cleared his throat. “I have a woman here—in my bedroom.”
Zarek laughed. “From my understanding, you bedding a woman isn’t anything new or earth-shattering.”
“Cousin, she’s in my bedroom. In my home.”
Zarek was quiet a moment. “You almost never allow anyone in your private dwelling. Just that magikal buddy of yours, and that one archaeologist you had us all sit down and tell our stories to years ago.”
“I still do not,” said Rayer, looking at the closed door, thinking of Alondra. “She is so beautiful. I ache to touch her. And I have no desire to use risbrosius on her. None at all. I want her to want me for me. She is…she’s in danger. And…and…I have to fight the urge to shift forms and fly far away with her. Am I broken? Has the sickness that claims so many of our kind late in their lives started in me? If so, you have to promise to kill me.”
Zarek laughed, surprising Rayer. “Have you had sex with the female yet?”
“No, but I want to. I want to lick every inch of her before I sink deep in her, releasing my seed. I want her to wear my scent.”
Zarek laughed again, as if this was funny in any way. “Cousin, do you think, perhaps, that she’s the one for you?”
The one?
Alondra?
“No. She can’t be,” said Rayer.
“Why not?”
Rayer tried to come up with a good reason, but nothing came to mind. He exhaled slowly. “How did you know Keren was your mate?”
“Looking back, I think it was when I realized she was immune to the risbrosius and she still wanted me for me. Also, from the start, the idea of harm coming to her set me and my dragon on edge. When I laid eyes on her, she was the single most beautiful creature I had ever seen. I could not look away from her.”
Rayer thought about Alondra and the fact she’d been attacked by a aemaemurous demon. His dragon attempted to surge to the surface, wanting to go in search of blood. Rayer grabbed the doorframe with one hand and stepped back fast, clutching the phone with his other hand. “I… No, she can’t be the one. She smells human.”
“Keren smelled human to me as well. Is your woman a Brandt? I will pray she’s not. They have wicked tempers.” Zarek grunted, and then laughed low and deep. “Ouch, wife, I jest. You are sweet as can be.”
Rayer stared at his bedroom door, knowing Alondra was within, and then touched his chest, an ache starting there. “I think the sickness is taking root in me.”
“I think you found the one,” said Zarek. “Kiss her and see.”
“No. I’m going to have someone I trust come and retrieve her. She cannot remain here,” said Rayer, his words warring with his body and its desires.
Zarek snorted. “Fine then, cousin, I have a friend in the area I can call to come and get her. She can stay with Keren and me until we all know better what danger she is in.”
He wanted to take her away from him? Take her all the way to Pittsburgh? “No!”
Zarek laughed again. “No what?”
“She can remain here. For now.”
“Rayer, trust your instincts. Do what they tell you to do.”
“They tell me to grab hold of her, fuck her until neither of us can move, and then never allow her to leave my line of sight.”
“Perhaps you should start with dinner and a movie,” said Zarek with a chuckle. “Keren says she expects to see you both at our Christmas party. She also wants me to tell you not to be a total dumbass, stubborn alpha-dragon shifter. Pfft. As if we are stubborn.”
Rayer swallowed hard. “May I speak with your mate?”
There was a pause, and then a female voice came on the line. “Hi, Rayer. Are you okay?”
“I do not think so,” he said with all honesty.
“What can I help with? Do you want us to come there? I can sit down and talk with her. I can try to explain what might be going on with you. Sometimes you guys come off as scary when you’re trying to be protective.”
“She laughs at me w
hen my alpha shows through,” he confessed, slightly ashamed, but wanting desperately to know how to keep Alondra for his own.
Keren snorted. “Perfect. Does she know what you are yet?”
“No. But she is not ignorant to supernaturals. She was attacked by an aemaemurous demon.”
Keren gasped. “Those aren’t very common. They tend to work for the highest bidder. They don’t just attack for fun. They do it for payment.”
Keren would know. She was born from the Brandt line of slayers, going back centuries. She knew a great deal about supernaturals. He’d guess she knew more than most dragon shifters even.
“She is afraid of someone, but will not tell me who. She sought me out to speak with me, arrived on my doorstep, and then wanted to flee. She has agreed to stay within my home for the night while my friend—a male witch—assists in trying to heal her.”
“Rayer, don’t push her too hard. Let her open up to you. Simply be there for her. And if she wants to go, fight your dragon side and let her leave.”
“No!”
She sighed. “Rayer, if you try to take her choices, you’ll lose her. Let her leave if she wants to go.”
“Someone wishes her dead,” he stated clearly.
“I didn’t say you couldn’t follow in the shadows behind her and keep her safe. I said not to make her stay.”
Rayer exhaled. “You are a good match for my cousin.”
“Pfft. I’m the only one who could tolerate him,” she said, laughing softly.
“True.”
“Rayer.”
“Yes?” He stared at the closed bedroom door.
“I think Zarek is right. I think this woman is the one for you. Call us back if you need us there. I haven’t killed an aemaemurous demon yet, and I’d love to get to add that one to my list.”
He snorted. “Yes, you are perfect for Zarek.”
“Goodbye, and don’t hesitate to call.”
Rayer disconnected the call and continued to stare at the door. Nearly an hour passed before he moved from the doorway. He went to the dining room, his intention to hang her wet jacket. He neared her bag and stopped as he spotted the spine of a journal sticking out. His throat tightened at the sight of it.
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