A Dragon Speaks Her Name: A Nocturne Falls Universe story

by Kira Nyte

  “So you were following addresses?”

  Kaylae nodded. “Some led to distant friends. Some to abandoned properties. One was at an actual rest stop off I-95. Each note instructed me to leave immediately and continue moving. I hit half of the Midwestern states before looping back here and pulling into my last stop.”

  “Where was that? I’m certain Talius wouldn’t have listed the Pinehurst Inn as your destination.”

  Kaylae lowered the menu. “Actually, it was the credit union. That’s where I found the letter, in a safety deposit box.”

  She forced herself to keep her father’s final written words from placing a damper on her date. She’d shed her tears last night. Now, she needed to move forward and find her rightful place in this crazy, fantastical world.

  Zareh leaned on the table, drawing her attention to him. An overcast expression settled over his face. “I think he knew I was here.”

  That shouldn’t have surprised her, but it did. It would explain why she ended up in this town out of all the cities and towns she could have landed in, lost, looking for a dragon she most likely would have dismissed as impossible.

  “How? If you’ve had no contact since the war, how could he have known where you are?”

  Zareh shrugged. “A few months ago, he woke the jewel. He was speaking to me in whispers, and I think he was trying to tell me about you without saying it outright. I didn’t think I projected my location to him that night, but perhaps I did, and that is how he knew I was here. Why he sent you here.” He fiddled with the silverware, straightening each fork, spoon, and knife until it was perfectly aligned. “It would have given him plenty of time to prepare for an attack. I wish I had the insight then to press him into making sense of his mumbling. More so, I should have visited, regardless of the dangers. I might have prevented his death.”

  “What if you were there when the slayers came? What if they killed you, too?” The regret that filled Zareh’s eyes resonated in her heart. He grieved the loss of his Keeper as she grieved the loss of her father. Their grief was shared grief. “I’m going to be selfish this one time, but if I hadn’t met you when I did, I may have very well lost touch with reality and committed myself to an institution. I was that bad off. Losing my father, the only person aside from my uncle who understood and protected me, was a mentally fatal blow.”

  Kaylae reached across the table, stilling his busy fingers with a simple touch. “I’m so grateful for you, Zareh. I truly am. You’ve been nothing but kind and understanding with me, more than a gentleman.” She tried a smile for him and earned a half-grin in return. “You’re my fire-breathing knight in shining scales.”

  Two days. All it took was two days for her to pour herself out to him.

  Two days and she was falling. Hard.

  Thankfully, the server returned just then with their bottle of wine and some bread. The interruption helped disperse the heaviness that had taken up residence at their table. Zareh insisted she try the wine, and she was pleasantly surprised by the warm, smooth texture. When she gave the okay, the server topped off her glass before pouring Zareh’s.

  They placed their orders. Zareh leaned back in his seat when she ordered the steak pizzaiola. When the server left, she lifted her brows.

  “What? Should I have gotten a salad?” Kaylae asked.

  “Absolutely not. I’m delighted you ordered something of substance.”

  “Well, I’m a little hungry. Might as well eat, right?” She’d have to have a serious talk with him about that grin. He was going to melt her into a puddle by the end of the night. “Stop that.”

  “What?”

  She lifted her wine glass and tipped it toward him. “You know how dangerous your mouth is when you grin? Or smile? Or chuckle? Oh, that chuckle is ridiculously sinful. It shouldn’t be allowed to exist.”

  Zareh lifted his glass to hers and clinked the rims. “Cheers to you, sweet little Doe.”

  She gave him a deliberate melt-worthy grin of her own. “To you, for saving me from myself.”

  When he put his lips on his glass, she did sigh.

  Dinner was going to be a challenge as far as keeping her dignity intact. Problem was, she wasn’t sure she cared to.

  They both seemed determined to leave the sadness of sharing their mutual loss behind. The date remained light, if keeping drool from pouring out of the side of her mouth could be considered light. The entrees were some of the best dishes Kaylae had ever tasted. Zareh shared a portion of his Osso Buco with her, feeding her little pieces like she was his queen. When she tried to return the favor, he wrapped his hand around hers and guided the fork to his mouth without taking his eyes off her. The intensity behind his gaze stole her breath.

  Dessert was mouthwatering Tiramisu and cappuccinos.

  Just when she thought it was over, the server returned with an enormous bouquet of red and pink roses. Sprigs of diamond-like jewels threaded cleverly through the bouquet glittered beneath the fairy lights and candlelight. Kaylae breathed in the sweetness of the roses, stunned into silence.

  “I hope you like them,” Zareh said, touching one of the petals before his fingers rose to her bottom lip. Kaylae blinked away the tears from her eyes. Zareh’s generosity had far surpassed what she would expect from any man. “There’s a wonderful florist called Enchanted Garden, owned by a witch. Marigold was able to put something special together for me.”

  “You’ve bewitched me, haven’t you?”

  “If anyone is bewitched, it’s me.” He let out a sharp breath. “I’m completely and entirely enamored with you. I want to earn your trust and your loyalty. I want you to make the decision to be with me. I’ve already made the decision to be with you. This is beyond lifemates, Doe. This is so, so much more.”

  Kaylae hid her smile in the lush roses, drinking in their scent as her brain drank in Zareh’s words. If she had been told yesterday that the Dark Brooder from Howler’s could express such softness and sincerity, she would have laughed. The voices most likely would have laughed, too. It would have been a laugh-fest.

  She wasn’t going to lie. That dark and broody Zareh was hot. Like burn-the-clothing, singe-the-skin hot. But this Zareh? She may be a Keeper, but he was the definition of keeper.

  Zareh abruptly pushed back his chair and stood up. He held out his hand to her. “Dance with me.”

  Kaylae cast a slow glance around the courtyard. There were two couples still dining. It didn’t matter. Zareh’s smile gave her the confidence she needed. She stood, placed the flowers on her chair, dropped her hand in his and let him lead her to a small, unoccupied space beside their table. He drew her close, one hand on her lower back, the other holding hers. She fell in motion with his slow sway and soon nothing existed outside of the magical atmosphere, the slow romantic music, and Zareh.

  “You asked me what I hoard,” he murmured against the top of her head before placing a kiss on her hair. “I started with diamonds. Any and all. I love polished and cut or raw. Over the centuries, I changed things up. Rare gems, metals, even artwork. I still like art, but more recently, I enjoy stones. All different kinds of stones. And before you ask, since I sense the question brewing, I still have my hoards. I left much in my homeland. The rest is spread out in different accounts across the globe.”

  “I take it talking about your hoard is like divulging a deep, dark secret.”

  “Similar. We don’t disclose the information outside of our clan.”

  Kaylae settled against Zareh’s frame, soaking in the heat from his skin and the wicked hard planes of what lay beneath his clothes. “May I disclose something to you?”

  “Anything, m’lady.”

  “Your suppression of the voices hasn’t gone unnoticed.” She tipped her chin up to catch him looking down at her. “I know you’ve been helping me.”

  “I plead the fifth.”

  “Go ahead. Plead whatever you’d like, but this girl knows what’s up.”

  Zareh’s arm tightened around her waist. “Are you
certain?”

  If she wasn’t before, she was now.

  Chapter Twelve

  By the end of the night, Zareh was lost. He surrendered to the notion that he was helpless in Kaylae’s presence, a slave to the woman who was his destined Keeper and his lifemate. He found himself mentally thanking the gods for this precious gift, for his little Doe. The world would be hers if he had any say. Romancing her came naturally. He wasn’t lying when he said he was enamored. He was completely and entirely taken.

  Pulling up in front of the dead-and-breakfast, Zareh contemplated the proposal for her to stay at his house. He understood the workings of their relationship. Even though he had explained it to her, he wasn’t sure how fast things should go between them, or if she still had reservations.

  He wasn’t sure how long he could keep himself from going nuts around her.

  They went up to her room, sharing a hello with the elven creature as they walked by his desk. Their talk was light with laughter and fun banter. Kaylae’s eyes glowed, as did the rose in her cheeks. She was stunning in the fitted dark blue dress that flared at the hips and caressed the skin above her knees. With minimal makeup and her luxurious mane of hair, she was a picturesque sight, one that would plague him for years to come.

  Kaylae dug out the room key from her purse. The impending ending to this special evening hung heavy between them.

  “I really had a great time, Zareh. I can’t thank you enough for making me feel normal.” When the pools of blue lifted to him, he was swept away by the depth of emotion swirling in those eyes. So much emotion, contemplation, yearning. “It’s bittersweet, you know? I was anticipating tonight more than I’ve anticipated any date before, knowing that it would come to an end.”

  Zareh stepped into her, pressing her back against the door. He traced the delicate angle of her jaw, caressed her cheek with his knuckles, then combed his aching fingers into the silky thick waves of her hair.

  Tipping her head back, he murmured, “It doesn’t have to end.”

  Then, he kissed her, holding nothing back. He kissed her with full sweeps of his tongue, silently speaking his need for her, his desires and hopes for them. His fingers curled in her hair, tilting her head back further. He angled his mouth and deepened their kisses, delighting in the soft moans that he drank from his lovely lifemate. Her arm looped around his neck, holding him tight. She pressed her smaller frame into him, the intimate motion setting him aflame. He barely registered the ripple of his scales along his spine or the faint hint of smoke that crept up his throat.

  Kaylae wrapped a leg around his and he growled.

  Tearing himself away from her had to be one of the worst tortures he’d known in all his centuries. The sexy glow in her face tested his degree of control over his own desires. Their panting breaths and racing hearts begged for them to continue on this very pleasant, dangerous trail.

  Her hand molded against his cheek, those kiss-reddened lips lifting in a shaky grin. “You are magnificent when your dragon makes his appearance. Your eyes are on fire.” She gasped when he gave her hip a light squeeze. “Your kiss…your kiss is forbidden.”

  Her hand dropped away from his face. She twisted slightly, enough to retrieve the key from the hand holding her roses, and unlock the door. Smoke and fire, if he followed her into that room, there was no telling what would happen.

  “Kaylae.” His voice had taken on a gruff, gravelly tone that raised goose bumps on her arms. A spark of understanding bolted through her eyes. “Come home with me.”

  She smiled and pushed the door open.

  The sight of the ransacked room sliced through the heady desires, leaving him both cold with anger and burning with the need to protect. An icy rush of fear knocked into him. Its source: Kaylae. He cut in front of her, keeping a hand firmly planted on her arm to hold her in place as he surveyed the room. With his enhanced dragon senses in full swing, he looked and listened for any sign the threat remained.

  Kaylae clung to the back of his shirt with her free hand, her fear brutally stark and unsettling in his mind.

  “Nothing will happen to you, Doe. I swear it.”

  He moved deeper into the room. The sparse items of clothing were strewn over the floor and bed. The dresser drawers had been pulled free and lay haphazardly on the floor. The comforter and bedding were piled at the foot of the bed.

  His attention lingered on a strange clicking sound. He checked the bathroom and found it thief-free. There was no sign of another presence, but the essence of darkness stained the room. Dark magic. Sorcery.

  A silent cuss snapped in his mind.

  He followed the insistent clicking to the armoire. The door hung open on the safe mounted on a custom shelf beneath two hanging items of clothing that had been spared the temper tantrum of the invasion. The click was from the locking mechanism trying to reset.

  Kaylae gasped, wedging herself between him and the safe. She pulled out the large envelope he recalled had contained her false documents. Her eyes widened, her lips parting as she stuck her hand inside, then turned the envelope over and shook it. Nothing fell out. The envelope was empty.

  Zareh’s dragon roared.

  Kaylae turned fearful eyes on him. They no longer sparkled with joy. They sparkled with tears.

  Zareh pulled her into his arms and pressed her head into his chest. Faint tremors ignited along her muscles. He surrounded her with his warmth, soothing her with the scent of his dragon, and touching the edges of her mind with reassurance.

  “They found me, didn’t they?” she murmured.

  Damn the Baroqueth.

  “I find it hard to believe anyone else would invade your room and turn it upside down like this.” Unfortunately, the events just opened up a massive can of spoiled meat. “I’m going to place a call to Sheriff Merrow and report this. I’ll have to make a few other phone calls before he arrives.” He groaned, running a hard hand over his head. A whole year of skating questions about their true identities was about to come to an end, but Kaylae’s safety came first. “I have a feeling we’ll be in for a long night.”

  * * *

  Hank Merrow, Nocturne Falls’ sheriff, wolf pack alpha, and no-nonsense enforcer of the law, arrived at the dead-and-breakfast with a deputy in tow. The elven manager looked a bit greener in the face and sweat-sheened along the brow.

  Sheriff Merrow approached, his blue eyes hard and all business. Zareh kept Kaylae close, an arm around her shoulders as she nestled against his side.

  “You’re the new lady in town,” the sheriff said to Kaylae, his hard-to-read expression making a silent assessment in a split moment. “I understand you had a rough day yesterday.”

  “Little sleep. Less food and drink,” Kaylae answered.

  Merrow nodded. “And you have no idea who might be after you?” This time, his questioning eyes started on Kaylae, but ended on Zareh. The sheriff’s piercing gaze struck through him, warning him not to skirt the question.

  Knew this was coming.

  “I think I might have an idea,” Zareh said. He cast a pointed look at the manager and Merrow’s deputy. “But I’m not willing to discuss it with anyone other than you.” He tapped his pocket where his phone rested. He lowered his voice. “My clan leader is on his way. He’ll be here shortly.”

  The sheriff’s brow arched. He grunted. “Meet me at the station in fifteen minutes. Be warned, I’m going to put in a call to the Ellinghams. If there is any chance the people of Nocturne Falls are in danger, they will be notified.”

  Zareh nodded. He had anticipated that, hence his call to Cade. The leaders could mediate this meeting. As it stood, Zareh was not at all happy about the fact his true dragon breed and Kaylae’s rare lineage were about to come to light. If he attempted to play mediator, he’d end up in a jail cell for bad attitude. Maybe assault by fire.

  Who was he kidding? He’d destroy the station and half of this side of town if his dragon got pissed.

  Kaylae’s life was at stake. He didn’t care who he o
ffended trying to protect her.

  Sheriff Merrow allowed Kaylae to gather her belongings before Zareh led her down to the SUV. A small sense of relief touched him when she assured him the key and dragonstone were safe in her purse. They made a quick stop at his house to drop her things off. Alazar was safe for the time being, but Zareh gave him a brief overview of what they’d walked into at the dead-and-breakfast.

  “You sure you don’t want me to come to the station with you?” Alazar asked quietly, his attention focused on Kaylae, who waited in the foyer, arms hugging her stomach. Zareh shook his head. “Do you want to leave her here? I’ll watch her until you’re done.”

  “No. She comes with me. You need to be diligent. Be wary. I don’t know how many are here, but they are here.” Zareh gave Alazar a clap on the shoulder. “Call me if anything happens, but don’t stick around if they attack. Get the hell out of here, you hear me? I’ll find you.”

  Alazar frowned, but nodded. “We’ll get through this together. Like always.”

  Zareh forced a small smile. “We will.”

  Zareh led Kaylae into the station. Sheriff Merrow was waiting for them, along with Hugh and Julian Ellingham.

  “My office,” Sheriff Merrow said, pointing the way to Zareh, Kaylae and the vampire brothers. “I’ll keep an ear out for your leader.”

  Zareh gave Kaylae’s waist a gentle, reassuring squeeze. His sweet little Doe looked like a kid about to face parental judge and jury after doing something terrible. He hated that this had come down on them so quickly. Hated that it screwed up their date night. Hated that Kaylae was about to get walloped with a whole lot more information about the extent of the threat sniffing at their heels.

  The sheriff’s office was a decent size, but with five of them packed in, it felt more like a closet, and not the walk-in kind. Julian pulled one of two chairs away from the desk and angled it toward Kaylae.

  “Have a seat,” he offered with a rather refreshing smile. Hugh, on the other hand, scrutinized Zareh from behind a mask of indifference.

  Sheriff Merrow joined them a moment later and took the seat behind his desk. “Have you met Hugh and Julian Ellingham, Zareh?”