Dance of the Dragon

by Kira Nyte

  “They shouldn’t be able to trace us here,” Amelia said, closing and locking the door behind them. Gabby took in the living space, furnished with simple wood-framed furniture and plush cushions. Several bunches of what she thought were herbs hung from the ceiling and the windows, all in different states of drying. “Make yourself at home. I’ll put on some water for tea.”

  “Thanks,” Gabby murmured. Taryn let go of her hand and crossed the room to a large birdcage. She cocked her head. “Is that a…crow?”

  “Talib? Yes.”

  Gabby ignored the clattering in the kitchen. The crow squawked at Taryn and ruffled its feathers.

  Her eyes narrowed. Did smoke just come out of Taryn’s nose?

  “Taryn, stop teasing him. Why must I tell you that every time you’re here?” Amelia scolded, stepping up beside Gabby. She nudged Gabby’s arm. “Taryn has to make his dominance known. Every time. Poor bird.”

  “If he hadn’t tried to peck my eyes out the first time I met him, I wouldn’t have to remind him who’s boss.” Taryn flashed the witch a wickedly charming smile. “We have an understanding.”

  “You’re impossible.” Amelia’s grin gave away her humor. “I’m going to bring out a plate of scones and shortbread. Gabriella, would you care for a fruit, herbal, or floral tea?”

  Gabby eyed the woman. “How did you know my name?”

  “I’ve seen you before last night, remember?” Amelia’s eyes held hers for a silent and intense moment. Gabby realized in those quiet seconds that there was a good chance the witch saw more about her past than she cared to accept. “I think you’ll benefit from herbal, and I have just the mix. I’ll be right back.”

  “Gabriella.”

  Gabby’s lungs twisted in her chest and her throat closed up tight. The sound of her full name rolling off Taryn’s tongue was as erotic as the fire licking in her belly. Slowly, she turned to face Taryn, who had crossed the small living room on silent steps to stand within arm’s reach. A very carnal edge replaced the humor in his eyes. As dangerous as he appeared, Gabby couldn’t help the fierce attraction that sputtered inside her head and body.

  She stepped back, earning herself a raised brow. “I don’t think your girlfriend would appreciate you looking at me like that,” she said on a hushed breath, casting a glance toward the kitchen for effect. “Does she know you met me at the river last night?”

  “Amelia is a close friend, but certainly not my girlfriend. Nor has she ever been. And yes. She knows about last night because she was the one I vented to outside the club.”

  Gabby straightened her shoulders and narrowed her eyes on Taryn. “Vented. You vented to your friend about what? My mother?”

  Taryn snorted. This time, she couldn’t dismiss the smoke that erupted from his nostrils. The smell of smoke confirmed what her eyes beheld.

  She stumbled back with a gasp. “What the hell?” She hit a chair and toppled over it. She barely caught herself on the table when Taryn clasped her arms to bring her upright. She shrieked at the sight of the claws that had formed at the tips of his fingers. “Holy shit, let go!”

  “Your mother, Gabriella, somehow managed to lay with my Keeper and become pregnant with you. A day before he was killed by the same sorcerers who chased you out of the coffee shop. Did she tell you that? Or just that I am loaded and I’ll set you up for life? Set her up?”

  Gabby struggled to draw air into her lungs. His voice faded, as did the twisted and fierce image of his face. She whimpered, a fist clenched to her chest as she fought the gray, the black, swirling around her.

  Smoke. Claws. And the flash of fire in his eyes.

  She swore she saw something red flutter along his hairline.

  “What are you?”

  Taryn’s eyes widening was the last thing she saw.

  “You don’t know about dragons…”

  Chapter Five

  “Sweet beloved Goddess, Taryn.”

  Amelia rushed toward the sofa as Taryn settled an unconscious Gabriella on the plush cushions. He stepped back as his friend shoved herself between him and the befuddling woman.

  “I warned you to be easy with her. Your animosity toward her mother should not be directed at her,” Amelia scolded, tossing a hard glance over her shoulder. “How much of the dragon did you show her?”

  Taryn shrugged. “Some smoke.” He raised a hand and wiggled his partially extended talons. Amelia groaned, rolling her eyes to the ceiling as she turned back to Gabriella. “Maybe a hint in the eyes.”

  “Damn it, Taryn.” Amelia swept her hands over Gabriella’s head without touching her. A low blue haze curled from her fingertips. “Why didn’t you listen to me?”

  Taryn shook free of his confusion and growled. “This is Janice we’re talking about, Meel. The woman doesn’t know how to keep her mouth shut for anything or anyone. The last thing I’d expect is the witch to keep us a secret from her own daughter. The beacon of hope for a well-off future, courtesy of my centuries’ old fortune.”

  He earned himself a caustic glance.

  “Bitch. Not witch. You know what I meant.”

  Amelia flicked her fingers. A bunch of dangling herbs smacked him in the back of the head.

  “Damn it, Meel!”

  “Exactly. Now”—she stood up, giving her hands a shake so the blue haze dissipated—“I expect you to heed my warning.” She stepped close to Taryn and hissed, “Her past is a nightmare within a nightmare. Do not think for one moment the woman who is on my sofa is anything like the woman who seduced your Keeper for impure reasons.” She dusted her hands together in front of Taryn’s face. Flickers of blue sprang from the motion. Taryn scowled. “Besides, you are obviously attracted to her.”

  She wagged her brows at him before gliding back into the kitchen. Taryn adjusted said attraction in his jeans, annoyed that since Gabriella’s appearance at the club the night before, any passing thought of the woman made him hard.

  “You plan on filling me in on what you’ve seen about her?” he called, raking a hand through the strands of hair that had fallen into his face. He was half temped to stalk his darling friend into the kitchen to demand his answers. Despite the rough road thus far, he refused to leave Gabriella’s side in such a vulnerable state, even if he kept his back to her. “I mean, you knew her full name and didn’t think to share?”

  “Her past is not my business to discuss.” Amelia leaned around the archway between the living area and the kitchen. Her lavender eyes glowed with residual magic. “You already had an idea what her name was. And you could’ve easily found out from Rodney, which you would’ve done had I not disclosed it first.”

  She disappeared again. “What I will say, Taryn, is that you’re going to have to earn her trust sooner than later. She needs a place where she’s safe. Not just from the Baroqueth or her mother, but from herself.”

  Taryn’s shoulders slumped as he ground his teeth together. Amelia was right. The damn woman was always right. He might not like the fact that Gabriella—he liked that version of her name far better than the childish Gabby—was in any way related to Janice, but she was also Corvin’s child. He saw his Keeper in her eyes. Her cheeks. The shape of her face. She was tall and willowy and downright beautiful.

  Slowly, he twisted at the waist, allowing his gaze to fall on the unconscious woman. An angel, with a serene expression on her face that had not been there minutes ago. He had never seen such fear before she fainted. He had been too engulfed in his hatred of Janice and his suspicion of Gabriella to notice she was practically choking to breathe. He missed the signs of her anxiety until it was too late.

  He thought she knew what he was.

  He would’ve sworn she knew.

  Janice hadn’t told her about what he was. What she was. All she knew was they were lifemates. Probably that he was her financial security.

  Well, he would be her security. Solely hers. Janice would be severely disappointed when reality bit her sorry ass.

  “Are you done moping?
” Amelia asked, returning to the cozy living room with three mugs of tea expertly tangled in her fingers. She handed one steaming mug to him, the soothing scent of lavender and chamomile wafting up to his nose. He gratefully took a sip of the scalding brew, not that it could burn a fire-breather’s mouth. Amelia didn’t take her eyes off him as she placed a mug for Gabriella on the small table beside her sofa. “Because you have certainly outdone yourself over the last twenty-four hours. I don’t think I would’ve ever suspected you capable of temper tantrums at, what? Half a millennia old?”

  “Yes, Mom.”

  Amelia arched a brow. “You’re surrounded by hanging herbs.”

  Taryn let out a sharp breath and took another sip of tea, warily lifting his eyes to a bunch of something that dangled a few inches from his forehead. Talib squawked behind him, most likely enjoying the sight of his mistress putting Taryn in his place.

  “Taryn, is it so bad? Isn’t this more of a dream come true than a curse?”

  Reluctantly, he nodded, adjusting the mug in his hand to lower it by his leg. His eyes landed on Gabriella’s face again. So much of Corvin in her. Not much of Janice.

  But what nightmares did she live with? What would cause such severe anxiety? Such shame?

  Amelia stepped up to rest a small hand on his chest, drawing his attention from Gabriella. He avoided Amelia’s eyes for a few seconds, aware that she would see through his shields and straight into his soul when he conceded.

  And he did. Finally. He always did.

  “Each person makes what they will of their lives. She may be of Janice’s blood, but she is not Janice. Nor will she be Janice. Look at her, Taryn. Your gift when you held no hope. A miracle. The powers that be know what they’re doing. Just…believe.”

  “You know, I hate it when you sound so much wiser than me and you’re a fraction of my age.”

  Amelia laughed quietly as she lifted her mug to her lips. Her hand lowered and she stepped back. “Maybe that’s why we get along so well.”

  She snapped her fingers.

  Gabriella sat up with a sharp gasp, eyes wide. Her fingers gripped the sofa cushions, knuckles instantly turning white. The fear from a few minutes earlier returned to her expression.

  “Easy, Gabriella,” Amelia said soothingly, turning her attention to the frightened woman scrambling off the sofa. Gabriella lunged away when Amelia reached for her, and succeeded in falling back onto the sofa with a squeal.

  Taryn hurried to her side. She shrieked and swatted him across the face. “Get away from me!”

  The sting in his cheek barely matched the regret in his soul. He had caused this. “Gabriella, calm down. Please. I didn’t know.”

  “D-didn’t know? What? Didn’t know what?” She shimmied deeper into the corner of the sofa, her blue eyes wild as they jumped all around the room as though in search of escape. Taryn reached for her knee. She flung out her leg, kicking him in the ribs. “Get! Back!”

  “Taryn, step away. Give her some space,” Amelia suggested. Taryn grumbled under his breath, rubbing his ribs as he settled back on his heels. Amelia offered Gabriella the mug she’d set on the side table. “Here, dear. Try this. It’ll help relax you. Better than medication.”

  Gabriella froze. She stared at Amelia, her posture rigid. Amelia brought the mug a little closer to her, the kind smile on her mouth never wavering as she waited.

  At last, the frightened woman seemed to settle, her gaze snapping to Taryn. “You went through my purse.”

  He shook his head. “I didn’t go through it.”

  “The money. You were the only one who could have done it.”

  Oh. Right. That.

  “I didn’t go through your purse. Your wallet is quite sizeable. And it was on top. I didn’t look at anything else. And I didn’t go through your wallet, either. Just…added to the twenty.”

  “Why? What makes you think I need money?” Her fear suddenly turned into anger. “Do I look poor to you? Am I not up to your expectations?”

  Taryn narrowed his eyes. “Whoa. I didn’t imply anything of the sort. I was trying to help—”

  Gabriella dropped her feet to the floor with a thump and shoved his shoulders. He hadn’t realized he’d moved closer until she touched him. “I don’t need your help. I’ve been at this long enough to know how to survive.”

  What the hell had he said to unleash this combative side of her? “Gabriella—”

  She threw up her hand in a demand for silence as she pushed past him, ignoring Amelia and the tea. She snatched her purse, dug out her wallet, the bills he had placed there last night, and threw them at him.

  “I don’t want your money. I don’t need your money. I don’t need your help. I don’t know what you are, who you are, and I don’t care. My mother does. She cares.” She kicked a few bills that had landed at her feet. “She cares about all of this shit. She cares about your money.” Another kick and a grunt. “I don’t.” A flicker of some emotion fractured the rage in her eyes. “I never have. I just want to be alone.”

  The pain in that last word ripped through his chest. Taryn pressed to his feet and started toward her slowly, watching closely as the fit of fury buckled beneath the cresting shame. That fracture in her eyes. A reflection of her soul.

  “I don’t think you want to be alone,” he said softly. “But I don’t doubt you want to escape.”

  Her lips twitched. She dropped her wallet into her purse and slung the strap over her shoulder. “Yes. Escape. Here. There. Escape everywhere.” She grabbed her second bag and shot him a stormy glance. “Don’t follow me.”

  “Gabriella—”

  “Gabby,” she snapped. “It’s Gabby to you. Ga-bee. Not Gabriella. In fact”—she stalked toward the door—“forget my name. You won’t be needing it.”

  Taryn remained rooted where he stood, flabbergasted by her outburst and mentally counting Gabriella’s steps as she crossed the room. Amelia came to stand beside him and shrugged as his lifemate reached for the doorknob.

  The bolt slid into place with a resounding click.

  Gabriella twisted and tugged the doorknob. The door didn’t budge. She growled, a sound he’d find damn erotic had the situation been more in his favor.

  “Open the door!”

  “You can’t leave. Those men will come back, and when they do, it’ll be with more bodies. They’re hunting you now. Hunting us.” Taryn hooked the thumb of his free hand on one front pocket of his jeans. He took a sip of tea. Anything to calm the unfurling beast inside him.

  Gabriella jerked around. Her nostrils flared and a light pink flushed her cheeks. “Why? Who were they? Why do they care about me? A nobody?”

  Taryn stiffened. What the hell had Janice done to this woman? To his lifemate? “First rule. You are not a nobody, Gabriella. I don’t want to hear you talk like that.”

  Her mouth worked, but no sound came out. She blinked a few times.

  Taryn nodded once. “Good. Now that we have that settled, will you please calm down, enjoy the tea Amelia made for you, and let us talk like civil beings? I think we’re past due for introductions. Real introductions.”

  Chapter Six

  Magic. Everything was magic. The world. The ruin.

  She was magic, and she hated it.

  The energy she traced was magic, strong magic. But the wielder of that magic was nothing more than a gifted human. She’d sensed this particular flavor of energy before. Numerous times, in fact, since tracing Syn and his lifemate to New Orleans.

  Yet the human practitioner dodged her every time.

  Malla twisted away from the deeply inset doorway and tried to get a feel for which direction the energy flowed. The two men flanking her watched closely, insubordination and frustration evident in their expressions. A sharp glance quickly bled away their testosterone.

  I cannot fail again. I will not fail again.

  She refused to become another numbered female locked in a swanky room on their temporary world, waiting for her father’s sold
iers to take her body in an attempt to get children on her.

  Their numbers were dwindling. She understood her father’s urgency to obtain the lifemates and steal the dragons’ powers. Once the women were bonded with their dragons, their lifespans and endurance to withstand illness and injury increased. As captive brood mares, they would produce a badly needed boom in Baroqueth numbers.

  Capturing lifemates would keep Malla from becoming nothing more than an object for lustful men to do with as they pleased.

  Without saying a word, she retraced the new Keeper’s strongest trail. The essence was hazy, but enough for her to tap into the echoes, see the shaky images of the woman’s path before she disappeared into the doorway. She followed it to a small coffee shop and paused.

  “You say she was here?” Malla looked at the soldier on her right. Borden. Certainly not the smartest in her father’s troop, but his brawn worked in his favor. Borden nodded. “Alone?”

  “Yes.”

  “Stay here.”

  The cronies obeyed her command as she entered the small, quiet business. Her nostrils flared under the assault of strong coffee and sweet, yeasty food. Her lips twisted in a scowl of distaste that she managed to tamp down before the man behind the counter noticed.

  “Good day! What can I do for you?” he greeted after placing change in a customer’s hand.

  Malla approached the counter, keeping her eyes level with his until his smile began to fade.

  “There was a woman here a short time ago who dropped something when she left. I was wondering if you knew her?” Malla lifted her hand to show a prospective height. “About this tall, blond hair, blue eyes. Very pretty.”

  The man blinked, a crease forming over his brows. “I’ve had many—”

  Time froze around her a she cast her spell, silencing the man, the clinking, the talking from customers seated around them. She swept her arm out, spreading magic through the café, casting a time warp of activity from over the last hour. Customers in. Customers out. Customers eating, laughing. The employee smiling, greeting, scrambling to fill orders.