by Riley Storm
For starters, because he would burn the place down around him if he ever went back.
“Okay, okay. So you’re like them, in that you’re all…uh, you’re. Well, you,” she said, waving her hands up and down at him. “But you aren’t, well, you don’t act quite like them.”
“Dragon shifters,” he supplied. “Say it.”
“Dragons.”
He nodded.
“Those others then. What are they?”
“The Cado.” Vlad ground his teeth together. “I should never have been there. I should have known better but…”
“But what?” she wanted to know.
“I am now wondering that perhaps I was meant to be there,” he said softly, looking her straight in the eyes. “To help you.”
Ellyn licked her lips nervously, averting her gaze as it lingered longer than she was comfortable with at the moment. “I’m not upset about that part.”
“Perhaps it was worth it then,” he said. “After all, I was able to rescue you before they killed you.”
“They were for sure going to kill me?” she asked, wrapping her arms around her upper body.
“Yes,” he said quietly. “The Cado don’t let anyone who they believe knows the secret of dragons survive.”
Ellyn’s eyes widened further than normal as she locked gazes with him. Then she very slowly took another step backward. Away from him. “Uhhh.”
Vlad lifted a hand, palm outward. “Stop,” he said. “You have nothing to fear in terms of your life ending at my hands. I swear this to you. I am here to protect you.”
“Except I know what you are,” she said, pained. “I’ve seen your other side.”
Vlad shrugged. “So?”
“What are you going to do about it?”
Vlad smiled. “Hopefully, I’m going to help you calm down, and understand what’s going on, so that we don’t break your grip on reality.”
Ellyn frowned, relaxing slightly, though she didn’t come any closer. “So I’m not a prisoner?”
Vlad hesitated.
“I am!” she exclaimed. “See?”
“Only for now,” he said quietly. “Until you come out of shock, and I can be certain that you aren’t going to have a psychological snap, or that you aren’t going to go around blabbing to everyone about who and what we are.”
“Oh.” Ellyn scratched the side of her head. “And after that?”
“Free to go…if you would like to leave.”
“Why wouldn’t I want to go?” she asked, frowning at him.
Vlad shifted uncomfortably from side to side, noting that her eyes were momentarily drawn back between his legs by the movement his motion caused. “Um. I don’t know.”
Now just did not seem like the right time to tell her that he was hoping she might stick around and spend some time with him.
So he sat down, twisting his body to the side, to block his nudity from her. He had forgotten just how skittish humans got with the naked body. Right then he just wanted to put her at ease, to help her relax from the ordeal she had just suffered.
“I owe you an apology by the way,” he said, watching with barely contained relief as Ellyn also sat down in the middle of the road. “For the way you discovered all of this. It wasn’t my intention of course, but I just assumed that you were lying when you said you hadn’t seen anything that night.”
“Why would you assume that?” she asked harshly.
Vlad fixed her with a glare. “Um, maybe because breaking into a house with the stated intent to steal as much from it as possible doesn’t exactly make you a model of honesty?”
Ellyn at least had the good graces to look properly chagrined. For a second. Then her face grew dark. “I had my reasons for it,” she snapped.
“Maybe,” he acceded. “But that doesn’t make me likely to believe you, no matter what you say, no matter what those reasons are.”
More anger—and something else that he couldn’t identify in time—flashed across her face. It was a strong reaction, much stronger than he had expected. Vlad noted that to himself. Just what were those reasons, and why was she there that night? He would need to ask her about that at some point.
“Well, regardless of that,” Ellyn said, jutting her chin out at him. “I have always been an adaptable person. It’s practically required in my…profession. I didn’t see anything then, but I have seen it now, and while it is still shocking, I can promise you, I am not going to lose my mind.”
“Are you sure?”
“Positive. I’m probably still in shock, like you said. But the truth is, after seeing your other, side, I have to admit, they’re actually very beautiful.”
Vlad watched her face as she spoke, noting that she seemed as surprised as he did by that comment. Her eyes widened slightly, cheeks tightening. Like she’d just spoken a truth she hadn’t known she believed.
“They’re sleek, powerful.” She looked up at him and the next words completely floored Vlad. “Can I see it again?”
“Again?” he asked, shocked at the request. “Um, no, not now. It’s too bright out. I risked a lot just coming down here to stop you in the first place. I can’t risk someone from town being out with binoculars or something and seeing what I really am. But…later, maybe. If you still want to.”
Ellyn nodded, slow bobs of her head. “You take keeping your secret very seriously.
“Yes.”
“That makes sense,” she said in a soft, sympathetic voice. “There are a lot of people out there who would try to take advantage of you if they knew what you really were. What you could do.”
Vlad’s mouth opened in surprise.
“What?” Ellyn asked.
He shook his head, trying to focus. “It’s just that, not many people usually make that connection so quickly.”
Ellyn smiled shyly. “Well, I’m not most people.
“No,” Vlad said quietly, staring deep into those mysterious brown eyes, trying to decipher ever more about this woman. “No you are not.”
They were quiet then, lost deep in one another.
For that moment, there was simply no need to speak.
Chapter Fourteen
Ellyn
She was being drawn into him without even realizing it.
When her brain finally did get around to noting what was happening, she shook herself out of the trance, averting her eyes. It was so easy to get lost in Vlad. So much depth to his stare, she could fall into it for hours if she wasn’t careful.
And you need to be careful. Don’t let yourself be fooled by him. In the end, he’ll turn on you, just like everyone else.
“Sorry about your truck,” she said, pointing at where it was lodged up on the rock, rear wheels in the air.
Vlad turned to glance at the vehicle. “Don’t worry about that. It’s not an issue at all.”
“It’s not?”
He shook his head, getting to his feet carefully—she noted he was now attempting to minimize how much nudity he showed her, which was nice, but also disappointing—and walked over to the truck.
Ellyn gasped as Vlad simply grabbed the rear of it and lifted the truck free with a grunt, taking shorter steps as he rotated it around the front wheels. Then he set it down, leaning against the tailgate to keep himself concealed.
“There, easy peasy,” he said, breathing a little harder.
“That was incredible. How did you do that?”
“Built in shifter strength,” he joked, bringing an arm up and flexing.
The effect ran down his body, and Ellyn admired every rigid line that was suddenly visible. He was ripped, and it was certainly pleasant to look at, she couldn’t lie to herself about that much. But she needed to look away. Now.
Why? It’s just looking. Yes, he’s hot. Besides, he genuinely seems to have my best interests in mind.
Perhaps she could use that somehow. Turn it to her advantage before he revealed his real motives, his real persona. Like they all did in the end.
Ellyn
inhaled sharply as a wave of nausea flowed over her at the idea of manipulating Vlad, of using him for her own gain. It felt wrong.
Turning inward she sought to identify the cause of this sudden change from her normal patterns. Since when did she care about people enough not to use them the way they would her? She had to! There was no other way. Lex was going to come after her in the end, and he would get what he was owed, she had no doubt about that.
The only thing she questioned, was whether it would cost Ellyn her life or not. Was there any path which allowed her to be spared? With Lex sending people to hunt her down—the coward would never deign to come after her himself—the odds seemed slim. If the man was good at anything, it was holding a grudge.
Somewhere during her train of thoughts Vlad had disappeared behind the far side of the truck. Now he reappeared. She pinned her eyes on his face firmly, forcing herself not to glance down.
Don’t do it. Just don’t. You’ve already had several eyefuls, you know what it looks like. You know how big it—
“You found pants,” she observed as her willpower failed, taking in the plain gray sweats.
“Always keep a few spares in my truck,” he said, leaning against the side of the vehicle. His curved posture stretched the abs on that side of his stomach in a rather enticing manner. Ellyn forced herself to look away, taking a slow, deep breath.
Normally the idea of simply jumping Vlad would be appealing to her. She had no qualms with consenting sex between adults. People had desires, and trying to deny that is what drove people to do things like cheat and worse.
With Vlad though…with Vlad it was different. There was something about him that she couldn’t quantify, and that something, that mysterious something, while it intrigued her, it also terrified Ellyn.
Because she knew she would like it.
“Are you ready to go back now?” Vlad asked, tilting his head at the truck, indicating they should head back to his home.
“Yeah I…I guess,” she said, not sure what other choice she had. Like Vlad had said, until he was certain she wasn’t going to lose her mind, he couldn’t let her go.
It sucked, in a sort of remote, detached sense, but Ellyn also understood his reasoning. Not to mention he was being more than polite about it all, which certainly disarmed any hatred she might normally be feeling over the fact she was still a prisoner, despite the recent jailbreak.
Climbing into the truck she sat back and let Vlad turn it around and head back up the mountain.
“Everyone in there,” she said, lifting a finger as the structure become visible. “They’re all dragon shifters?”
“Most of them, yes,” he answered.
“Most?”
“Well, not everyone’s mate is a shifter. Many of them are human,” Vlad said.
“Their mates?” Ellyn glanced over at him. “That’s a curious term.”
“It’s the dragon way,” he said. “We partner for life. It’s part of what we are, I suppose. There is only one woman for us.” He fell silent, staring ahead.
Ellyn glanced at his knuckles as they tightened around the steering wheel, turning white.
“Everything okay?” she asked.
“Um.” Vlad shifted nervously.
“What is it?” she asked. “Is your mate back here or something?”
“I don’t have a mate,” Vlad said quickly.
“What’s the problem?”
The gate opened for them. Ellyn cringed slightly at the white paint from the truck that had scraped off on the edge of it.
“Sorry about the damage.”
Vlad waved it off. “It’s fine, nothing really. Don’t think twice about it.”
“Okay.”
He sat straighter as they drove up to the parking spaces for the second time that day.
“What’s going on Vlad? Why are you so tense?”
“I, uh, I didn’t exactly leave under the best of circumstances,” he admitted.
“You aren’t welcome here, is that what you’re saying?”
“I’m saying I don’t know, okay? It should be okay, but it might be, I don’t know, awkward, I guess. Let’s just go inside, get you a room. Then you can shower, eat some real food, and maybe we’ll sleep for a bit. Maybe I will.”
“What happened that made you leave?” she asked as they sat inside the truck, engine idling.
“Long story,” he said.
Ellyn shrugged helplessly. “I’m a prisoner of yours, until you figure out if you can trust me or not, so it sounds like we’re going to have some time to kill.”
Vlad snorted and finally turned the truck off. “Nice try. Come on, let’s go.”
He ushered her inside the building, and down a flight of stairs. The interior was a soft sandstone color, with more white than yellow to it, giving the place a bright, airy feel. Pieces of art decorated the walls here and there, to break up the monotone, but there was lots of light, and as he guided her to the end of one corridor, she saw the entire far wall was pure glass, looking out over the valley beyond.
“Now that’s a view,” she said, stunned by the panorama in front of her.
“Isn’t it?” he remarked.
There were doors every so often, and one giant balcony seemed to extend out over the drop.
Vlad took her down the corridor to where it met up partway down with another in a T-junction. They followed that for a bit, before stopping at a room.
“Nice,” she said dryly, noting the lock on the outside. “Not your normal guest room.”
“No,” Vlad agreed. “It’s not. And you’re not a normal guest.”
Ellyn’s voice caught in her throat as he locked eyes with her again. They paused outside the room, standing still, neither talking, just looking at the other.
Her stomach was tied in more knots than a sailor’s rope, and Ellyn could have sworn her heart was beating a stomping rhythm against her chest wall loud enough to shake the building.
Vlad’s mouth was open a tiny bit she saw, his chest rising and falling as he breathed a little harder.
“I, um, I thought you would prefer your own room,” Vlad said, licking his lips.
Ellyn nodded, not trusting her voice to work at all, let alone sound normal.
Forcing her cheeks and lips to turn upward she gave him what she hoped was a smile, but in all likelihood was a grotesque mockery of the look.
What IS IT with this guy? Nobody has ever had this sort of effect on me!
It was both scary and—Oh no. We are not going down that road right now.
“Tha—thank you,” she said, forced to clear her throat halfway through, bringing her hand to her mouth to cover it, using that to disguise the fact she’d been lifting it to rest it on his chest.
Which is why when she was done ‘coughing’ she reached out and laid her hand on the bare skin there.
Good. Perfect. Just perfect.
“You’re welcome,” Vlad said, looking down, not moving away. “But for what?”
“Saving my life,” she whispered, trembling. “I had no idea what I was getting myself into back there, and you risked your life to save mine.”
Vlad started to nod, then he frowned.
“What? Whahat is it?”
“I was just wondering,” he said, in a different, but still soft, tone. “Shouldn’t a burglar, especially one who it seems has done this before, have a better idea of who they’re trying to rob? I mean, you just waltzed onto the property like it was nothing.”
Ellyn rocked backward, her hand dropping as his point slammed home into her brain.
“Uh,” she said, the distance between them suddenly ten times as vast, despite neither of them moving. “I gotta go.”
Without another thought she turned and fled into her room, closing the door behind her and leaning back against it, trying to get her breathing under control.
That entire encounter had raised a lot of questions. A lot. About more than just Vlad.
Behind her there was a click as she was
locked in.
Chapter Fifteen
Vlad
After taking a shower and a short nap, Vlad was up and ready to tackle whatever he was going to do with Ellyn. Which was an issue he didn’t have a solution to just yet.
He’d not wanted to lock her in her room, but he’d needed that sleep more than he’d expected. Until he could re-evaluate her, he had to ensure she couldn’t leave. Not just for herself, but to keep the secret of his kind. He didn’t like it, but sometimes personal desires were outweighed by something greater. Besides, he was going to make it up to her.
After he had some food.
He wandered down the hallway and into the kitchen. The oversized table was laid out in front, with a beautiful window looking out onto the balcony and beyond past it. To the right was fridge, stove, and counter space, to the left lay a large walk-in pantry. That was where he was headed.
“Afternoon sleepyhead.”
Vlad spun to the right, mouth dropping open in shock. “What the heck are you doing here? How are you here?”
Ellyn smiled at him with gentle reproach. “I’m a thief, Vlad. It’s my specialty to break into places that I’m not supposed to be. That works the exact same for breaking out of places. A flimsy door lock like that isn’t going to stop me.”
“But…”
“I was bored,” she said. “And hungry. Mostly hungry.”
Vlad slumped in defeat. What more could he say to that?
“That’s the spirit,” Ellyn teased playfully, before catching herself and looking into the coffee mug she held in her right hand, staring intently at its contents.
At that moment someone else entered the kitchen. Vlad looked over at the newcomer, then straightened abruptly. “Pierce,” he said.
Pierce Teres was the head of Clan Teres here in North America. He oversaw all of the activity of the Clan in Five Peaks. In short, he was Vlad’s superior, his boss. Plus he was a good person, and Vlad respected him for being both.
“Vlad. I’d heard you were back. Good to see you.”
Vlad managed not to raise his eyebrow at that last. He doubted anyone was happy to see him, but he also wasn’t about to contradict what his clan leader was saying.