“That was my thought, as well. The bastard also has no idea he’ll be facing drakons and won’t be prepared.” When he got nods from the other two, he knew their course was set. “Then we wait.
“Enoch, do what you can on the laptop, but save the tricky stuff until we’ve dealt with Birch and whoever else shows up with him.”
“Got it.” Enoch closed his laptop and stood, tucking the machine under his arm.
“Where are you going?” he asked.
Enoch gave him a half grin. “I have a good idea where you’re heading, and I’d rather not hear it.”
He put his hands on his hips and nodded, refusing to apologize for wanting to bed Karina once again.
Khalil saluted him and followed his brother.
“Well?” He faced Sadiq.
“I’ll be watching.”
Jericho knew he was referring not only to Birch and any other intruders—he’d also be keeping an eye on Karina.
“Thanks, man.” He reached out and dragged his friend close, pounding him on the back.
“Just try and think with your big brain and not your smaller one,” Sadiq quipped. “Or at least give them equal time.”
“I will,” he promised and prayed he could fulfil it.
…
Svetlana picked up the phone on the first ring. “Yes.”
“Birch is on the ground in Northern California and making inquiries.”
“Get me a list of every flight that has landed or taken off from his location in the past week.” Best to be thorough.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Leave one man at the airport and the rest of you follow Birch.” If anyone could find her granddaughter’s body, it would be him.
She really expected that Karina had been killed. After all, it’s what she would do if she’d been the one to kidnap and interrogate her. But there was a small chance Karina might be alive, and Svetlana had learned at a very young age never to leave things to chance.
She’d purposely goaded Birch into believing she was ready to step forward to reclaim the Knights. But that was a risk, and one she wasn’t going to take until she knew for sure she had to. If by some miracle Karina was alive and Birch got her back, things could return to the way they were.
Nothing was more important than keeping herself safe and alive until she secured a supply of dragon blood.
She ended the call, put all thoughts of Birch and Karina out of her head, and went back to the report she was reading. Her team had developed an even more powerful drug designed to bring down the dragons faster and more efficiently.
Moments later, the steward appeared at her side. “Ma’am, would you like anything to eat or drink? We still have an hour before we land in California.”
“Coffee.” The steward silently slipped away to get her request. Svetlana smiled. There was no way she was leaving things to fate. She’d be right behind Birch and would deal with any remaining mess or link to her in the appropriate manner.
Chapter Sixteen
Sleep eluded Karina. She was physically tired, but her mind wouldn’t shut down. Her brain was a gold mine of information Jericho and his men could use to their advantage.
Was that why he’d slept with her, used his blood to cure her? Had he been trying to forge a bond between them so she’d tell them everything she knew?
She didn’t want to think so, but the evidence was pretty clear. He’d been so cold earlier, allowing Sadiq to question her while he watched. She shivered and tugged the covers tighter.
The door opened, the dim light from the hallway filtering into the room. “I told you everything I know about the Knights’ businesses.”
The door closed. She’d hoped he’d leave her in peace but knew it wasn’t to be. He was in the room with her. There was an aliveness in the space that hadn’t been there before, as though it wasn’t really big enough to contain him.
“What do you want, Jericho?” She stared out the darkened window, unable to see past the curtain of night.
“You.”
That single word carved a piece from her already shattered heart. “No.” She couldn’t open herself up to him again. Now that she was getting more of herself back, she needed to protect herself. She’d been too open with him, and look where it had gotten her.
Shut out. Shut down. Left alone.
Abandoned. That’s how she’d felt when he’d kept his silence, put emotional distance between them. It was stupid to react that way. Yes, the sex had been phenomenal. And for a short time, she’d thought they’d actually connected.
It had been nothing more than smoke and mirrors. A dream. A fantasy.
His weight depressed the side of the mattress. Still she didn’t look at him. She also remained silent, knowing it was an effective weapon. Already, she was falling back on her early training. Would she ever truly be her own person, or would ever action, every decision she made forever be tainted by her past?
When he laid his hand on her shoulder, she shrugged it off. “Don’t.” She couldn’t handle him touching her. In spite of everything that had happened, all the pithy lectures she’d given herself, the cautions and the warnings, she still wanted him. Jericho had become necessary to her, like air or water.
“Why not?” His deep voice vibrated through her like a caress, but his words infuriated her.
“Why not?” She rolled over and sat up. He was closer than she’d thought, and their noses almost touched. “You’re an idiot if you think I’m going to have sex with you again.”
They’d made love—or at least she had. On his part, it had been nothing more than sex. She refused to look too closely at her own emotions. They were too volatile, too close to the surface.
“I’m not an idiot, and we will make love again.” She shivered at the underlying steel in his tone. It was difficult to ignore the sensual promise in his statement, the way every inch of her skin tingled when he deliberately called it making love.
She had to be strong, couldn’t give in to her soul’s yearning.
“I don’t think so. You made it more than obvious what you really think of me. And that’s fine. That’s dandy. I get it. But you got what you wanted, so just leave me in peace.” Brave speech for a woman fighting the urge to throw herself into his arms. There was also the slight problem of her still being their prisoner. For a short time, she’d forgotten that not so insignificant detail.
He wrapped his powerful hand around her throat, and she stilled. Was this it? Had he come to finish her off now that they no longer needed her? Her only solace was that they’d bring down the Knights and her grandmother, if the woman was still alive. It would have to be enough.
He skimmed his fingers over her skin, raising goose bumps on her flesh. “I can’t leave you alone. I wish I could, but I can’t.”
Why couldn’t he? She didn’t understand.
Her heart was galloping so fast her chest hurt. She tried to swallow but her throat was too dry. The nightgown she’d donned suddenly seemed heavy and confining.
“I had to stay apart from you earlier, even though it almost killed me.”
Sitting in the dark with his hand grazing up and down her throat and his deep voice filling the space, Karina didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. This was one of the deadliest and most intimate conversations she’d ever had. Jericho seemed to be able to push past her innate caution, her sense of survival, leaving her bare in all ways.
“I can’t trust myself around you,” he continued, his rough voice reaching inside her, making her feel alive. “I want to believe you, but I can’t be objective.”
A blast of hope and pleasure surged through her, but she quickly cut it off. “Should I be flattered the sex was good enough that you were conflicted?” She knew her barb had hit its mark when his fingers tightened slightly.
“Yes.”
“Well, that’s no longer a problem since sex is off the table.” She was proud of her steadiness. She had to protect her heart from him. The organ was fragile and vulne
rable after years of being ignored and neglected.
He slid his hand up and cupped her jaw, running his thumb over her lower lip. Her nipples immediately puckered, and a sensual throbbing began deep inside her. She wanted him. She didn’t want to, but there was no fighting biology. That’s all it was. That’s all she would allow it to be.
“So, what? You want a quick lay again? Maybe after you’re done, one of the others will decide they want one, too.”
A roar blasted through the room like the percussive wave of an explosion. Instinct had her clamping her hands over her ears and hunching forward. The glass in the bedroom window shattered, sending shards flying everywhere. Sharp debris bit into her skin as it blew back over them.
Sparks ignited the bedcovers.
Ears ringing, she tossed the comforter over the smoldering embers, smothering the fire before it became a blaze.
She was suddenly plucked off the bed as though she weighed nothing at all. He held her by her shoulders and shook her until her brain rattled. “You are mine,” he roared. “No other shall have you.”
Even though she was half deaf from the blast, she heard him. It was impossible not to.
“I belong to myself.” She’d spent too many years belonging to another person. And didn’t he want to control her just as her grandmother had?
The door slammed open. He thrust her behind him. Was he protecting her?
“What the fuck is going on?” Sadiq demanded. “I thought you wanted to have sex, not destroy the place.”
They all knew he’d come up here to have sex with her, did they? Of course they did. They seemed to share everything. Well, except her. Jericho hadn’t liked that idea one bit.
His jealousy might mean he felt some kind of emotional connection to her, but she was trying to ignore that. She was completely confused—by herself, by him, by the situation they both found themselves in.
“I’m taking her to another room.” He scooped her up and carried her out and down the short hallway.
She brought up her hand to shield her eyes from the hallway light, but saw Sadiq standing outside the destroyed room, watching them. His hands were on his hips, his lips pressed together, his brows lowered in a menacing scowl, and there was a deadly promise in his eyes. He viewed her as nothing but trouble.
Then they were in another darkened bedroom with the door closed. Jericho set her carefully on the bed and turned on the bedside lamp. She almost wished he’d kept it off. It allowed her not only to see the flecks of blood on her arms but also the concern etched on his face.
“You’re hurt.” It sounded more like an accusation than actual worry.
Several places on her arms were dotted with blood, but the bleeding had already stopped, so she knew it wasn’t serious.
He gently picked up her arm and rubbed his thumb over one area, then another. “No glass embedded,” she observed. “Just small cuts.”
Releasing a deep sigh, he knelt before her. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you.” The sincerity reflected in his eyes was almost too much.
“Which time?” She couldn’t afford to give any emotional ground, had to try to build up her defenses when it came to him. They were too weak. Pitiful, actually.
“Every time.” He sat back on his heels, his gaze fixed on her.
As much as she wanted to hate him, she couldn’t. Jericho was many things, some of them not particularly pleasant, but he’d never lied to her. Just the opposite. He might not always tell her the entire truth, but he’d been brutally honest with her when a lie would have made his life easier.
They stared at each other for a long time, neither of them willing to give ground. As always, he wore faded jeans, boots, and a T-shirt. It didn’t matter that the clothes were old and worn. Nothing detracted from the aura of power surrounding him. A person would have to be blind and downright stupid not to see it, to sense it.
He wasn’t handsome in the classical sense, but something about him reached deep inside her and clamped a fist around her heart. She might not always like him, but she wanted him. And she feared she was beginning to have very deep feelings for him.
That should have been impossible, given the situation, the things that had happened between them.
“What are we going to do?” she whispered in the quiet.
“Whatever we have to.” The words were barely past his lips when he leaned in and kissed her. For all its gentleness, the kiss was still one of blatant possessiveness. She allowed herself to soften, to welcome his touch.
Life was short and unpredictable. She could harbor a grudge and hold herself apart from him, or she could take what she wanted, enjoying the moment. What she couldn’t do was let her heart get more involved than it already was.
Easier said than done.
Slipping his hand through her hair, he held onto the back of her head while continuing to kiss her. “I’m sorry.” He grazed his lips over her cheek and the curve of her jaw. “I didn’t mean to hurt you, but there is more at stake than what I want, what I need.”
Understanding blossomed, and with it came forgiveness and a kind of acceptance. He loved these men like brothers. And while he might care for her, want her, he wouldn’t risk their lives, and so he’d allowed them to interrogate and question her.
And when she thought about it, their questioning hadn’t been brutal in any way. They could have easily tortured her but hadn’t because they knew how much he wanted her.
She released a pent-up sigh. “This entire situation is a mess.” And it wasn’t going to get any easier any time soon.
“It is,” he agreed.
“To hell with it.” She grabbed a handful of his shirt and tugged. He held his arms up, allowing her to yank it over his head and expose miles of hard-muscled male. Her entire body hummed with anticipation.
“To hell with it,” he agreed and reached for her once again.
…
Jericho wasn’t questioning his good luck. Her mood had swung from shutting him out to opening up to him, at least physically. There was still a mental, an emotional distance that hadn’t been there the last time they’d made love. He had only himself to blame, but there was nothing he could have done differently.
If he only had himself to worry about, things might have unfolded another way.
But she was in his arms where she belonged, her hands caressing his shoulders and back. He caught a whiff of her arousal. Like gasoline tossed on an already roaring blaze, it fired his blood, making him lightheaded with anticipation.
He still couldn’t believe he’d roared loud enough to shatter the window and a few other items in the room as well. Not to mention almost setting the bed on fire with sparks of temper.
Her hearing had likely been damaged. Some of the cuts she’d sustained from the flying glass had been deep. The remnants of his blood in her system had healed both. He didn’t think she understood that, but he did and was grateful for it.
The connection between them had frayed. Instinct pushed him to strengthen it in whatever way necessary. Dragon or man, his need for her was so vast, so deep it blocked out all else.
Pushing her lightly, he sent her sprawling back on the bed. Her nightgown rode up her thighs. Before she could speak, he reached beneath the garment, found her panties, and ripped them from her. She gasped but didn’t stop him.
Feeling powerful and dangerous, he wrapped his hands around her hips and dragged them to the edge of the bed. “Mine,” he managed to grunt out as he moved in to get a taste of her sweet arousal. He wanted to coat his skin in her luscious scent, carry it with him wherever he went. It would be a warning to other drakons that she belonged to him.
Her moan of pleasure, the tension thrumming through her, all fed his unending desire. A thousand years of loving her might take the edge of the need clawing at him, but he doubted it. Wanting her was an affliction that would never end. And he never wanted it to.
She was already wet, and he delved right into her heat. He ran his tongue over her s
lick folds, teasing his way to her clit. Her hips circled as she moved with him.
Nothing had ever tasted as good to him as Karina did—just the right amount of sweet and spicy. He wanted to eat her up and never stop until she agreed to stay with him forever. But that was a conversation for another day.
Pleasure was the goal of the moment.
His jeans were tight enough to split. He had to get out of them.
Jericho stood and slowly removed his boots and jeans. Karina was panting hard, her chest rising and falling, making her breasts jiggle beneath the nightgown she still wore.
When he was naked, he put one knee on the mattress by her hip, gripped the top of the gown, and gave a tug. The fragile material tore down the center, exposing her beautiful body.
The last time, he’d been in charge of their lovemaking. To make amends for his earlier actions, he needed to let her be in control.
She gasped when he lifted her into his arms. He could have reminded her she weighed nothing to him but didn’t. He enjoyed having her close, relished the way her hands crept around his neck.
He sat on the bed with his back against the headboard. With one easy movement, he had her on his lap facing him. It was the perfect position. He could see her. Touch her. And she could do the same with him.
He ran his hands down her slender shoulders and arms, taking the torn fabric with him and tossing it aside before skimming his fingers across her flat stomach, over her narrow hips.
She watched him, eyes filled with need and a hint of sadness. He set out to completely rid her of it.
He traced her features with the tips of his fingers. His hands were big, his skin rough, but she didn’t seem to mind. She closed her eyes and leaned into his touch. When her lips parted on a sigh, he captured them, kissing her, lightly at first and then deeper. He loved the way she wasn’t afraid to challenge him, her tongue dueling with his. But she also allowed him to explore before returning the caress.
Sidling closer, she captured his cock between their bodies. The light pressure, the warmth from her skin, almost made him come.
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