“How could you?” He reached out, but she took a step back. Hurt flashed in his eyes before they went blank, and his hand dropped to his side.
“I should have.” And that would haunt her for the rest of her life. “I was a pawn, a tool to be used and discarded when no longer useful.” That was all she’d ever been to her family, what she still was to Jericho and his men. The only person who’d never treated her that way was her sister, and she’d driven Valeriya away until they were nothing more than strangers.
It did no good to feel sorry for herself. All she could do was focus on the present and do whatever it took to make things right. She’d already taken a huge step in that direction. If she was killed, Jericho and his men had a hell of a lot of information that would help them drain her funds and those of other members. They also had data that might lead them to any other drakons being held.
She wanted to be the one to do it. And that was purely ego. But she couldn’t deny the burning desire to cut the Knights of the Dragon off at the knees and dance on their graves. They’d gone unchecked for far too long.
Some people might find it impossible to believe that she’d turn on people she’d worked with and ruled for her entire adult life. But they’d never been friends, and more than one had tried to kill her over the years. Birch had thwarted several assassination attempts.
She was tired of playing games, was now fighting for her life, however it might turn out.
Enoch shoved the door open and walked in. “We’ve got company coming down the driveway.”
“Who?”
“Single white male in an SUV. But he’s not alone. There are three more trucks with more than a dozen men following. Mercenary type. From the looks of things, they’re armed to the teeth.”
Enoch set his computer on the table and slipped back outside. “This is it,” Jericho told her. “Watch her,” he told Sadiq and headed toward the door.
“Wait just a minute.” She wasn’t being kept inside like some child.
He whirled around and caught her shoulders. He yanked her up onto her toes and slammed his mouth down on hers. Heat and pure need crashed into her. His need? Hers? It didn’t matter. She clung to his biceps and returned the kiss. Their tongues dueled, and she tasted a deeper heat, something not quite human. Dragon.
“Protect her,” he tossed over his shoulder as he pulled the door shut behind him.
“You need to be out there,” she told Sadiq. Yes, Enoch and, she assumed, Khalil were both with Jericho, but from everything she’d witnessed, Sadiq was his best friend.
Sadiq didn’t look any happier than she did. “He wants you protected.” The words were guttural and deep, followed by a growl of displeasure.
Good. She was none too pleased, herself. “If I went outside, you’d have to go, too, wouldn’t you?”
He paused and tilted his head, studying her. “And why would you go outside? Unless it’s to warn Birch.”
“Warn the man who has been deceiving me all these years, the man who allowed Svetlana to drug me? I don’t think so.”
“Why?” he persisted. “Why do you want to go outside?”
There was a good chance Jericho and the others could hear her but didn’t care. “Because I don’t want Jericho hurt. I don’t want any of you hurt. This is my fight.”
“What do you care if he’s hurt?” Sadiq prowled toward her, fists curled at his sides, a sneer marring his handsome face.
“Because I do.” She was not discussing her feelings for Jericho with Sadiq. “Stop trying to divide his focus,” she warned.
With that, she walked to the door and yanked it open. Sadiq could either follow her or stop her. And if he touched her, she had a feeling Jericho would lose his mind, and her temporary guard knew that. She was banking on it keeping him from getting in her way. Plus, she knew he’d rather be alongside his friends than babysitting her.
Jericho was standing in the yard looking very unhappy with both of them, but it was too late to scold them or send them back inside. The black SUV came into view. The driver jammed on the brakes, and before the vehicle had rocked to a stop, Birch was out with his gun drawn. He didn’t seem to know who to point it at. It tracked from her to Jericho to Sadiq and back to her.
“Hello, Birch.” She kept her tone modulated and cool, projecting a woman in control. His left arm was in a cast and his face had several bruises—likely a result of the accident—but he looked as tough and formidable as ever.
“You’re alive.” He started to lower his weapon but jerked it back up when Jericho shifted his weight from one leg to the other. “Stay where you are,” he warned.
“Did you think I wouldn’t be?” It was important to keep Birch’s attention on her. The rest of the men he’d brought with him would be deploying to the area, circling to catch them in a squeeze. She had to assume Enoch and his brother would handle them.
And they’d only be the first wave. Svetlana wouldn’t be far behind.
“I was worried. You were kidnapped.” He glanced from her to the men and back to her, assessing their role in what was unfolding. If she didn’t know the truth, she would never have doubted his sincerity. He honestly seemed concerned.
“I was injured in the crash, but I survived.” She took a step closer but stopped when Jericho scowled at her. “The drugs are all gone from my system,” she told him. “The tattoo was damaged, and my gift is back.”
Birch slumped slightly, seeming defeated. “So, you know?”
She wasn’t buying it, not for one second. “That you’ve been drugging me for years? That Svetlana is still alive and using me as a puppet? That you helped her? That she used magic on me? Yes, I’m very aware of that,” she added when his eyes widened in surprise. “Are you here to finish the job?”
Chapter Eighteen
Jericho wanted to punch Sadiq in the face. He could have kept Karina inside but had chosen to let her come out. It had been impossible not to hear their conversation with the kitchen window open.
It disgusted him how eagerly he’d listened, hoping to hear Karina say she had feelings for him. He really was pathetic. But none of that mattered. The biggest job right now was to protect her.
She was his, and she was being threatened. The urge to jump forward and rip Birch’s head from his shoulders before roasting his dead body with drakon fire was almost overwhelming. The only thing stopping him? She needed answers that only this man could give her.
They had time. Not much, but hopefully enough to get her what she needed. Enoch and Khalil were taking care of the men creeping through the woods. There were none better than those two when it came to being silent and stealthy. He and Sadiq tended to be noisier and a bit more blunt when it came to such things.
“I’m here to rescue you,” Birch insisted. Jericho crossed his arms over his chest and deepened his scowl when the man looked his way. They were spread out, distracting him, pulling his attention in different directions.
“Save me.” Disgust was evident in her tone. “You’ve let Svetlana hurt me my entire life.”
She was angry, and rightfully so. He couldn’t imagine his friends betraying him in such a matter.
“Karina.” Birch held out his hand. “You need to come with me. I don’t know who these men are, or who hired them, but you’re not safe here.”
“I’m not safe anywhere.” Her words hit him like a hammer to the head. Everyone, himself included, had threatened her. She had nowhere to go and no one to turn to that she could truly trust.
“Karina,” Jericho began, but she shook her head, keeping her attention on Birch. He knew she was right. They couldn’t afford to lose concentration. He glanced at Sadiq and made a signal behind his back. His friend nodded and slowly eased away.
Birch saw the movement and tracked his weapon toward Sadiq. Karina stepped in front of it.
“Get out of the way,” Birch ordered.
“No. I trust these men more than I do you. We have an understanding.”
Was that h
ow she saw their sleeping together, as having an understanding?
“You offered them money?” Birch nodded as though that was a logical and expected step.
“We don’t need money.” It was time he took control of the conversation. As he walked toward his adversary, he smiled. From past experience, he knew that particular expression was enough to make some men piss their pants. But not this one.
Birch reached inside the vehicle and brought out a larger weapon—a tranquilizer gun. The Knights had potions that could render a drakon almost powerless and unable to shift back to their human form. “I know what you are.”
Jericho yanked his shirt over his head and tossed it aside, displaying his tattoo, his drakon birthmark for all to see. “Do you now?” With Birch’s attention on him, Sadiq slipped away, merging into to the surrounding woods.
“You’re a dragon.”
“He’s a drakon,” Karina corrected. “One who’d planned to kill me.” He’d never live that down but couldn’t regret it since it brought her into his life.
“Then get over here.”
He had to hand it to the man. He knew he was in a precarious position but was calm and unshaken.
“No.” That single, quietly spoken word fell with the force of a nuclear bomb. “I’m done being controlled. You work for Svetlana, not me. You answer to her. I’m done with all of you, with everything.” The finality of her words made Jericho edgy. He feared he was included in the “everything” she was done with.
He needed to get rid of the Knights. Then he and Karina could work things out. There would be plenty of time after they were safely away from here.
“I’m sorry.” Birch spoke to Karina but shot at Jericho. He ducked out of the way, avoiding the dangerous dart.
Karina yelled his name, and he instinctively reacted to the fear in her voice, his dragon bursting outward, demanding release. This time, he didn’t hold back, giving that side of his nature free rein.
His jeans ripped as his body expanded and changed shape. It only took a blink of an eye, but Birch, the bastard, was fast, firing again. Jericho knew he was at risk, but it wasn’t a big one, not with his brethren in the woods surrounding them. They’d have his back.
Karina dove toward the man, knocking his hand at the last second, deflecting his aim so the dart hit the hard scales of his body and not his more vulnerable neck. He roared, the sound thundering through the air. The entire world around them went silent.
But Birch was no idiot. He grabbed Karina around the neck and jammed the gun against her throat. The dose of sedative in the vial would kill her, and they all knew it.
Jericho was fucked.
…
Stupid! It had been foolish to put herself in Birch’s reach, especially knowing how good he was at his job. But she’d had no choice. In those few seconds he’d been changing form, Jericho had been vulnerable.
Her only thought had been to protect him. For all his sins—and she certainly wasn’t in a position to cast judgement—she had deep feelings for him. In truth, she was in love with him.
There was no other reason to get between a man with a gun and a drakon. Birch was a killer all the way to his soul. She’d always been called cold, but she was warm-hearted compared to her bodyguard and mentor. And Jericho was a drakon, able to shift into a powerful dragon. Jumping between them was the height of stupidity.
Yet she’d done just that, forfeiting her life for his.
It made no logical sense, but there was no reasoning with the heart.
But by her actions, she’d given Birch a weapon to use against Jericho and his men. Karina had no intention of allowing herself to be used in such a manner.
“Go,” she ordered. As a man, he exuded a powerful presence, one of danger and command. As a dragon he was too primal to be considered truly beautiful. Compelling, awe-inspiring, deadly. He was all those things and more.
He tilted his large, broad head to one side. Smoke flared from his nostrils, and when he smiled, she caught a glimpse of giant, razor-sharp teeth. With the red and black scales flashing in the sunlight, his long powerful tail curled around him, and his wings folded at his back, he was magnificent.
He was also amused.
“You want me to go?” It was odd to hear a human voice coming from a dragon. It was deeper, more guttural than normal, but not by much.
“Yes.” She tried to move, but Birch’s forearm pressed harder against her throat for a second, a silent warning to stay where she was. “There’s no need for you to get caught up in this war.”
That seemed to surprise both men. “Karina?” Birch’s grip loosened slightly but the gun never wavered. It might be filled with tranquilizers and not bullets, but with the dose involved, she’d be dead before she hit the ground. At least she’d have a chance with a bullet.
Jericho huffed out a breath and seemed to settle more comfortably where he was. It was official. Men were idiots. Apparently, it didn’t matter the species.
“Just go. I’ll deal with Birch and my grandmother.” Using Svetlana’s title was a reminder to all of them that she was related to the evil woman who’d harmed so many people, including her own granddaughter.
At least if Jericho and the others left, she wouldn’t have them on her conscience. “You know I’m right,” she continued. “If you think she didn’t have someone following Birch, you’re deluded. I imagine right this second there are teams moving into position, ready to kill me, and possibly Birch, and take you.”
“I was careful,” Birch began, but then sighed. “She claimed to believe you were dead, but she also knew I’d never stop looking.” He released his hold on her neck, instead shackling her wrist with his fingers. “I never wanted to hurt you.”
“Why?” Maybe it was silly and didn’t matter in the bigger scheme of things, but she needed to know. “You’ve been with me since I was a teenager. Why did you let her do these things to me?”
Birch simply shook his head, depriving her of any explanation. Jericho was watching them intently, letting events unfold, but she had no doubt he could swing into action in a heartbeat. Drakons might be huge in their dragon form, but they were faster than most people suspected.
“I’ll go with you,” she blurted. If she could get Birch and his men away from here before Svetlana arrived, she’d never have to know about Jericho and the others. “If you keep your mouth shut about the drakons, I’ll go with you.”
Jericho growled. The powerful sound came from deep inside him, causing the ground beneath them to actually vibrate. “It’s too late.” He tilted his large head as though listening intently. “She’s brought enough men for a small war.”
“Damn her,” Karina muttered. It was unlikely she’d get the opportunity to face down Svetlana, as she preferred to direct events from the shadows rather than being a part of them.
Birch pulled her close and slightly behind him. “I’ll protect her,” he told Jericho.
“I’d prefer you talk to me.” Her tone was icy, her words precise. “I’m right here.” The men thought they’d talk around the little woman, did they?
In a move he’d taught her years before, she raised her arm and spun under it, forcing Birch to release her. She dove behind the vehicle before he could fire, yanked open the door on the other side, and grabbed the gun he’d discarded earlier.
Armed, she faced her former bodyguard and friend. “Drop the weapon,” she ordered.
He shook his head, his pale blue eyes filled with regret. “I can’t.”
She hadn’t really expected him to. He’d always told her never to surrender her weapon. Better to die fighting than to go down meekly. In spite of everything he’d done, she owed him a great deal.
A terrified scream ripped through the air. It was quickly followed by another and another. Gunfire erupted. Svetlana’s men had arrived.
…
Jericho wasn’t sure if he wanted to kiss Karina or paddle her backside. Order him to leave her, would she? Did she imagine he’d simply
turn and walk away?
Probably. In spite of all she knew about drakons, and the fact they’d made love, he didn’t think she fully comprehended what she was to him. She was used to betrayal, to those around her doing what was in their own best interests.
But he couldn’t leave her, wouldn’t leave.
She’d been created to be his, the one woman in the history of the world who could ease the emptiness inside him and give him renewed hope for the future.
He’d bitterly cursed fate for not bringing him a woman. Then he’d damned it again when it had brought him the leader of the Knights of the Dragon as a mate. With both their lives on the line, he truly understood what a gift she was.
She’d moved so quickly he could barely believe his eyes. One second, she was a captive, the next, she’d freed herself and was now holding a weapon on Birch. Pride had his chest puffing out. He’d momentarily forgotten what a dangerous woman she was.
It was a hell of a turn-on.
“Karina, come here,” he ordered. The safest place for her was behind him. His scales were as good a shield as existed in the world.
She shook her head. “I can’t.”
His head felt as though it might implode. “What do you mean, you can’t? Get over here.” He took a step forward, but Birch turned that damn tranquilizer gun on him again. Around them, fighting raged. It wouldn’t be long before it reached them. In spite of his friends’ best efforts, some of the mercenaries would breach the perimeter and bring the fight to them.
He whipped his head around when he heard footsteps. Inhaling sharply, he allowed the blistering fire to build inside him, energizing him. He was a fire drakon, one who’d pushed his limits for years, refining his techniques until he was the ultimate weapon.
Releasing his breath, he aimed the powerful flame like water from a hose. The men screamed and were practically vaporized on the spot.
“Holy shit,” Birch whispered under his breath. Jericho doubted he’d seen a fire drakon in action before.
The sting of a dart slamming into him coincided with the retort of a handgun. Birch had taken advantage of his second of inattention. He jerked the dart away from his neck, but not before about half of the tranquilizer had entered his bloodstream.
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