by Brynn Paulin
“Dragon…” she whispered, the sound lost in the fury above her. “But dragons don’t exist…”
Janos felt his charge faint. It was just was well. She didn’t need to see the charred bubbling mess of the Djinni who’d attacked them. Saints, how he hated the Djinn and the Elvish and their unholy mission to wipe the Dragons from existence. Mature Dragons themselves were nearly impervious to their attacks, but their mates, like this woman, were vulnerable, as were their children. The Djinn and Elvish knew if they killed Dragon mates, they would in turn eliminate the Dragon race since they wouldn’t be able to reproduce.
He took a look around to see if more of their ilk hid in the shadows. He sensed none, but in recent years, they’d learned to mask their presence. Only the clumsy, like the Elvish hunter on the subway, revealed themselves. That man had been too hungry for the slaughter to notice a Dragon stood nearby. When Janos had felt the venomous stare, he’d fully opened his senses and discovered what he should have felt like a spear through his consciousness. A Dragon mate sat just feet from him.
Generally, Dragons sensed mates immediately. Their systems were adapted to finding these women so that their species survived. Janos, however, had been too distracted. His vacation to New York had been interrupted by a special meeting of the Dragon Council, and since he was his clan’s elder, he had no choice but to attend. After this attack, he could easily guess why the session had been called.
This woman was special, and the combined armies of the Djinn and Elvish were out in force to eliminate her. Very few women without the protection of a Dragon survived one of their strikes. Janos intended to learn what had happened, and make sure his charge lived to meet her mate and be united with him. Once that occurred, she’d be safe.
His wings slowly unfolded, and he caught the woman up in his arms when she would have fallen. With one last glance around, he soared into the air, his dark form swallowed by the inky night.
Minutes later, he landed on the roof of his hotel, glad that the surface had been deserted and he hadn’t needed to circle until it cleared. As his feet hit the tarred surface, his scales slid away, leaving him in his clothed human form. He gave his head a shake to get rid of his helmet hair then headed for the door that led into the building.
The stairwell was empty. Tucking the woman’s head against his chest, he bounded down the two flights to his floor. He slowed slightly as he neared his suite. Urgently, he sent out a message. A moment later, the door swung open, and his wingscion, Jonah, stood there. Janos nodded grimly at him as he passed. Jonah followed. He stood beside the bed as Janos laid his charge on it.
“Who’s this?” Jonah asked as he appreciatively studied the female on the bed.
A growl rose in Janos’ throat, and that surprised him. Jonah was his wingscion, the man closer to him than even his three brothers. He and Jonah were a matched pair of warriors, rarely parted, and capable of fighting as a single machine when in danger. Scions shared a telepathic connection that even mates didn’t have. He shared everything with Jonah. Still, the thought of him touching this woman, or even looking at her, made anger twist violently in Janos’ gut.
“She’s taken,” Janos grated.
Jonah threw his hands in front of him, laughing. “Okay, I get it. She’s your mate. I won’t touch her.”
“She’s not mine.” The thought that she might be… Something unfamiliar seemed to shift sideways inside him. Could she be? No way. Distraction or not, he would have immediately recognized her on the subway if she was his mate. And she wouldn’t have fought his protection so obstinately. Mates, human or not, recognized each other on a visceral level. They knew. This woman was not his mate.
“Uh-huh. Whatever you say,” Jonah murmured.
Janos scowled at him, and Jonah laughed. The two of them were like darkness and light, one intense and one lighthearted. It was often the way of scions. They were two halves of one unit, each equally complementing the other.
“Jonah, don’t start with me…”
His scion rolled his eyes then tilted his head forward. “Whatever you want to believe, My Elder.”
Janos looked at Jonah’s bowed head, still uncomfortable with the formality. It was only a few years since his parents had crossed over to the home dimension for a short trip and had never returned. When it had become apparent they weren’t returning, he’d ascended to the position of clan elder.
Most times he and his scion were just Janos and Jonah, and their banter flowed naturally, full of easy ribbing and fraternal intimacy. But when it came to serious matters of duty and service to the Cruentus Clan’s Elder, Jonah addressed him formally.
It was damned inconvenient. Servitude interfered with the bond of two wingscions, but there was naught he could do about it. Though Jonah had leave to treat him as familiarly as Janos’ brothers, and he was revered as the scion of the elder, by law, he was required to display deference in official matters. Mates and their protection were just such a matter.
“We’re alone. Don’t do that here,” Janos sighed despite protocol. “I have to meet with the council. Protect her while I go to that damn meeting.” He reached out and placed a hand on Jonah’s shoulder. Silently, he transmitted what had happened and the woman’s situation in a fraction of the time it would have taken to relay it verbally.
Jonah’s eyes went wide, and he glanced at the woman on the bed. “Damn,” he whispered then let out a low whistle. “So they screwed up before and now they’re coming after her like a cleanup crew.”
Janos nodded. “It was an Elvish on the train and a Djinni on the way here. Saints know how many are in the city looking for her. She must be high on their hit list if they’re working together so closely now. Albus and Selena must have closed the rift between their peoples—at least temporarily.”
Albus, the leader of the Djinn, had once broken Selena’s heart. The leader of the Elvish had never forgiven him, and their races had fought for years. But both hated the Dragons and sought to eliminate them. When he’d realized on the street that they’d combined forces…
Not good. Not good at all.
“Their union matters naught. We are stronger. And they know it.”
“Our strength will wane as our numbers dwindle.” Janos looked at the woman’s limp form. “I wonder which of our kind will end up with her. His long wait is over.” His heart lurched in his chest. It would be a lucky Dragon who claimed her. Janos still searched for his own mate. Someday, he’d find her as well. Until then, he’d continue to protect those who belonged to others. It was his blood vow, taken upon his ascension to power.
Jonah arched a brow at him. “Yes, I wonder.”
“She’s not mine.”
“So you say.”
“I would have known immediately if she was.”
“My Elder, I beg your pardon, but you’ve listened to one too many Dragon tales. In my recollection, mates do not immediately recognize one another.”
Janos crossed his arms over his chest, peeved with his scion. “Who?”
Jonah held his hand in front of him and started ticking off the couples a pair at a time. “From our clan: Your parents, my parents, Elselijn and Maleke, Norissa and Danthony, Shahla and—”
“Okay, okay,” Janos interrupted. “Fine, so mates don’t always know. I tell you, she’s not mine.” He thumped a hand over his heart. “I’d know it here.”
“What about here?” Jonah asked, tapping a hand over his own fly.
Janos glared at him. “Watch over her while I go downstairs to the council meeting.”
“As you bid, My Elder.”
He shook his head at Jonah’s tone. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
“No rush. I’ll take good care of her.”
Janos growled at his innuendo, though he knew Jonah wouldn’t touch the woman. He headed for the door. He wasn’t appropriately dressed for an official council meeting and should don a full suit rather than his jeans and a T-shirt, but he had no time for political etiquette. O
ther matters, mating matters, were foremost in his mind.
Chapter Two
Scarlett woke with a start, her last memory before the blackness still terrifying her.
“Shh… It’s okay. You’re safe.”
She turned her head and found a dark-haired stranger, who looked much like Janos, sitting in a chair beside her. Her eyes went wide, and she scrambled away to the other side of the bed.
“Hey, kiddo, it’s okay,” the man said. “No one here wants to hurt you.”
“Where’s Janos?”
“Meeting with the other elders, and I suspect wishing he was back up here.”
“I need to…um…” She started to crawl toward the end of the bed, but quickly got her feet under her and vaulted forward onto the floor. Already running, she dashed for the door. This new stranger was faster. He was in front of her and blocking her way in a blink. Too fast for her to stop. She slammed into him full force. The impact didn’t budge him, and she groaned as she stumbled backward. He caught her arms to keep her from falling.
“Let me go,” she demanded.
“Can’t. Janos would be pissed, and it’s not safe out there for you. It is my sworn duty to protect you.”
“Right,” she replied sarcastically.
“You’re at a huge risk. Do you realize what’s waiting for you? Djinn who can fry you with energy. Elvish who can call the elements against you. And that’s just part of what they can do.”
“And what about the Dragons who can engulf me with fire? Burn me to death? Or squeeze me to death with their wings.” She jerked from his grip and backed away, though she was sure the only reason she was free was because he’d let her go. That was hardly comforting.
He blocked the door, so she had to find another way out or wait until he wasn’t in her way. She stalked to the window.
“We’re eighteen floors up,” he told her before she got there.
She continued to the glass to see for herself. None of tonight seemed real. The subway, the killers, Janos’ transformation, and now she was trapped in a room with a man who seemed to have inhuman speed. When had she fallen into the rabbit’s hole?
“Hey, I’m not going to hurt you. You’re safe,” the stranger said behind her. In the reflection on the window, she saw he hadn’t moved from his position blocking the door. “Janos will kill me if I so much as shake your hand.” He brushed a hand over his front where she’d smacked into him. “So I guess I’m screwed then, but I’m not making it worse.”
She turned to him, her back pressed to the window. The last seven years had conditioned her to always be in escape mode. Her gaze skittered around the room for weapons while always keeping him in her peripheral vision.
“Are you thirsty? The bar’s fully stocked. I can get you a bottled water or a soft drink.”
She ignored the question. “I saw him…turn into…something.” How the hell did she say she saw a guy turn into a dragon and not sound completely out of her gourd? And the other guy? He’d been floating!
Her captor crossed his arms over his chest and casually leaned against the door. “You were in danger,” he explained. “It was the only way Janos could protect you and get you out of there alive. Believe me he doesn’t shift unless he has to. And he did have to. You know…those energy balls hurt like hell. Trust me. I’ve taken a few direct hits from them. Burn like hell, too. You would have been killed if Janos hadn’t shifted.”
“So you know, he’s a…um…well, what is he?”
“A Dragon, but then I suspect you already know that. He’s my wingscion—my partner. We work together. He’s also my best friend and the elder of my clan.”
“Your clan?” She swallowed, wishing she could take a few more steps away. Her insides trembled like Jello. She lifted her chin, showing no fear, and took a deep breath through her nose. “You’re a…Dragon…too?”
“Yes.”
She nodded, feeling a bit hysterical. She’d always been aware of people around her who were different. Though many put entities like werewolves and vampires down to myth, she’d always believed they existed in the shadows.
“You need to be brought up to speed quickly,” he continued. “Janos probably should be explaining things, but since he’s stuck in a meeting and you’re obviously freaking out, I’ll lay things out. I find that once I know a situation, no matter how weird it seems, I feel a bit calmer because I can start to deal with it.”
“I’m not freaking out.” Maybe a little, but she knew how to appear calm.
“Denial. Okay…well, we’ll go from there. And by the way…your heart sounds like a kettle drum during the William Tell Overture right now, but that aside, let’s start with the toughest stuff and move into easier things. Monsters are real.”
She gave him a look of disbelief. “Yeah, kinda figured that out. Dragon. Floating guy. What did you call him? A Djinni. Monsters. Got that. Seems crazy, but since I’ve seen it, well, there’s no point running around saying it’s not possible and they don’t exist.”
“And mouthy. You’ll need that with Janos. His name is Janos Aventech. As I said, leader of my clan. I’m Jonah Genjhury, his wingscion. Wingscions are battle partners—we work together as a team.”
“Okay…”
“And you’re a Dragon mate.”
She shook her head. She’d been with him until there but…Dragon mate? “Uh-uh.”
“You are. It’s in your blood. Once we get back to the compound, I can prove it to you. I’m one of the clan’s doctors.”
She shook her head again.
“There are other signs,” Jonah continued.
“Like?” She almost laughed. She could easily believe in the dragons and the djinn, but this mate crap… She wasn’t a mate and she sure as heck wasn’t buying into it. She wanted a guy she chose, not someone merely drawn to her blood.
“When was the last time you were sick?”
She shrugged.
“You don’t know because you never get sick. Right?”
Well, she couldn’t remember ever being sick. She was just lucky and good with hand sanitizer. “I don’t know,” she answered.
“And you heal quickly. More quickly than you should.”
She shrugged again. “I have a good immune system.”
“No full-human heals as quickly as I suspect you do. All Dragon mates are like that.”
“If Dragons don’t get sick and heal quickly, why do they need you, doctor?”
“There are reasons. That aside, there are other signs that tell how special you are. Let’s see…there’s excellent night vision and cellular memories that have been passed through your line. They may have remained dormant until they surfaced in you. Do you have any innate abilities? Something that others would have looked at you doing and called you a prodigy?”
Scarlett nodded slowly.
“Do you tend to be a night owl?”
“Yes.”
“One last thing. You had an instant and inexplicable attraction to Janos, didn’t you? It was more than appreciation of his form. You wanted to touch him, press against him, and it didn’t matter where you were. You couldn’t stop staring at him. That’s what happened, right?”
Well, that was embarrassing. She looked away, wondering what Janos had told Jonah while she was passed out. How could Janos have known how much he’d shaken her, how her belly had clenched and her panties had dampened with unexpected need? And she hadn’t been able to look away. She wanted his kiss again, without the bad guy in the background.
“It’s typical for Dragons to feel a jolt go through their middle when they’re near an unclaimed Dragon mate. It’s an awareness.” He chuckled. “Kinda like a…Spidey Sense. We’re adapted to finding mates so our species can continue. But Janos hasn’t accepted that what he felt isn’t typical. It’s more.”
“Why?”
“I suspect he’s your mate.”
Scarlett shook her head vehemently. “No. He’s not.”
“Wow, you two really are a matc
hed pair.”
“None of those things are proof.”
“What he felt, what I feel, those are pretty concrete. There’s no mistaking our bodies recognizing you.”
“That doesn’t mean anything to me.”
“Doesn’t it? It means you’re alive now. And it will mean an awful lot when it’s your sons looking for their mates.”
The thought of ‘mating’ with Janos to make those kids sent a tingle through her that she tried to ignore. Trouble was, the more she tried to ignore her attraction, the more aroused she became. Good thing only Jonah was in the room. She didn’t want him. He wasn’t as drop-dead handsome as Janos, though his dark brown eyes, black-brown hair and killer muscles were nearly as compelling. Nearly, but not quite. He didn’t give her any sort of buzz.
He unfolded himself from the door. “Are you going to run?”
She shook her head, and he stared at her as if assessing her honesty. She sighed. “Look, I’m not. I don’t want to be a Dragon mate or go to your compound or any of that. I’m just an ordinary boring human. I want my ordinary boring human life. But I believe you about keeping me safe, even if I don’t get why they want to kill me.”
“Because you’re a—”
“Dragon mate,” she finished for him. “I suppose the bad guys have a ‘feeling’ too?”
Scarlett didn’t mean to sound sarcastic, but the whole mate thing was freaking her out about as much as those goons trying to kill her.
“No. They have magic,” Jonah replied without a hint of humor. “And they’re willing to use every bit at their disposal to find our mates and kill them before we can be united. And we’re willing to do everything we can to stop them. Kiddo, you’re in the middle of a war.”
* * * *
“Didn’t your family come out of the middle ages with wealth? It must be hell to live hand to mouth for thousands of years.”
“We’ve never lived hand to mouth.” Janos glared at Harrod and tried to bury his anger. The man loved nothing more than to prod at him, and he knew nothing. Janos’ family had come out of the middle ages with money to spare, but everyone at the compound worked. It was the Cruentus belief that people who worked in satisfying endeavors were happier. Years of doing nothing grated on the nerves, so why not work at something one loved?