Hot Blooded (10 page)

It wouldn't matter once she knew everything, but until then he had to keep an eye on her. The last thing anyone at Dreagan wanted was a picture of one of them in dragon form plastered everywhere.

He focused on Iona and moved from tree to tree so she wouldn't see him. Her movements slowed, and she looked around more often, as if someone were watching her. Which he was.

Laith didn't get too close. He kept his distance, but it was difficult. He spent the entire night thinking of Iona instead of sleeping. He'd lain awake picturing her blond waves and dark eyes, her smile, and her body.

He gave a shake of his head and focused on Iona. It would be the worst kind of mistake for them both if he continued along that path of thinking and didn't concentrate. The farther into the woods Iona got, the more anxious Laith became. He had to somehow get her back onto Campbell land.

A sound behind Iona drew Laith up short. He opened his hearing and detected at least four sets of footfalls approaching.

Whoever was following Iona was good. They kept hidden, which alerted Laith that it wasn't the Dark Fae. They rarely hid. They were more of the smash-and-grab types. That meant the fellows following Iona were human.

In some ways, they were as bad as the Dark. After the war with the humans, the Kings had come to Dreagan and let talk of dragons turn to legend and myth. They hid, protecting their secret from anyone not a Dragon King. It had worked for millions of years.

Until recently.

No species was without enemies, but the Kings seemed to have more than most. Laith clenched his teeth when he saw an arm poke out from behind a tree. The mercenaries could be sent by their enemy to try and find a dragon. Or they could be after Iona.

Either way, Laith wasn't going to let that happen. He counted five in camouflage fatigues, their faces painted green and black. The men moved as one toward Iona. He was ready to kill every one of them, until they suddenly veered away from him.

He frowned. There was no way they could know he was waiting. Laith jerked his head to Iona and spotted her twenty yards ahead of him as it began to rain. That's when he realized the men were following her right onto Dreagan. If they were the ones who had killed John, then Laith was going to make them pay.

Laith hurried after Iona while still remaining hidden from her and the men. Every time he would get close to Iona, she would suddenly turn the other way. Even with the rain, she stopped and took pictures.

It began to rain harder, the sky turning dark. The wind howled, as the trees swayed in response. Laith stood against the force of nature looking from the mercenaries to Iona. When Iona packed away her camera and turned to retrace her steps, her path took her right to him. Laith let out a sigh of relief. Then he saw the mercs set up position in order to surround her.

“Bloody hell,” he whispered.

Laith watched Iona tilt her head back to look up at the sky. At that moment, thunder boomed and a split second later lightning zigzagged across the darkening sky. Iona started running, weaving her way through the trees while the mercenaries moved from place to place to try and catch her.

The shadows were lengthening, and the rain and wind made it difficult for a human to see properly. As soon as Iona was even with him, Laith reached out and clamped a hand over her mouth as he yanked her back against his chest. She struggled against him like a cornered dog.

“Iona,” he whispered. “It's me. Calm down.”

She stilled, though her chest continued to heave. Her hands were on his arm, and she tried to pull it away from her mouth.

“Listen. There are men following you. We need to get you back to the cottage,” he said in a low tone. Then he removed his hand from her mouth.

She leaned her head back to meet his gaze. Her eyes were wide with fear and shock. “Are you sure?”

“There,” he said and pointed to a merc who was peering around a tree at her.

“Oh, shit,” she whispered.

“I can get you back home. Do you trust me?”

She nodded.

Laith slid his fingers into hers. “Ready?”

“No.”

He smiled and pulled her after him as they raced through the forest.

 

CHAPTER
ELEVEN

Iona's mind was swirling in confusion. What was Laith doing in the Dragonwood? Why were men following her? Where was Laith taking her? And how was he moving so quickly?

Several times she lost her footing only to have Laith tug her in one direction or the other and help her right herself. She was running as fast as she could on the slick—and sloping—ground and she wanted to slow down. Yet she could tell Laith wasn't moving nearly as fast as he wanted.

With her panting breaths, she couldn't discern if the others followed or not, and she didn't dare chance a look over her shoulder for fear of falling. Then she spotted the stream through the trees. A smile formed, because she knew where they were.

However, that smile died a quick death when Laith suddenly stopped and jerked her against him as he hid behind an oak tree.

Iona swallowed, her fear mingling with the desire that suddenly heated her body as she found herself forced against Laith's front. He looked down at her, his gunmetal eyes giving nothing away. His hands were steady as he held her while her palms rested on his chest—a very firm, very defined chest.

With her breasts pressed against him they were so close, she couldn't help but notice his fine body. She watched as Laith's lids slowly lowered over his eyes while his head cocked to the side as if he were listening. She did the same and realized that there was no sound other than the rain. It was as if the world had gone silent.

Iona tried to peer around Laith's shoulder, but he hastily pulled her back. She looked up to find him frowning down at her. The rain was coming faster, causing Iona to have to blink repeatedly to keep the water from her eyes.

Laith stood still as a statue. His gaze was on her, but she knew his attention was on the men. She looked back at the stream and noticed how open the area was. The stream wasn't wide. But they would need to go from the tree line to the stream and then across it before they could run across another ten feet of rock until they reached the opposite bank of the forest. It was a prime opportunity for someone to take aim and simply wait for them to cross.

Laith's big hand moved to her neck and slowly tilted her head up to him. His gaze searched hers while water dripped from his long eyelashes. His voice was barely above a whisper as he said, “When I say, run to the cottage and doona look back.”

Iona shook her head and opened her mouth to speak, but he placed a finger over her lips to silence her.

“I'll be right behind you,” he promised.

She'd been in enough war zones to know she would be better served doing as he asked. But once at the cottage, if the assholes dared to come closer, she wouldn't hesitate to use any weapon she could get her hands on.

Iona gave a nod of acceptance, and Laith's answering smile was enough to boost her courage. Laith turned her so that her back was to him. He rested his hands on her shoulders and leaned down so that his lips were by her ear. His warm breath skated over her skin, sending goose bumps rising and causing her to shiver.

“Doona look back,” he whispered.

Iona was surprised when he gave a squeeze of her shoulders. She licked her lips and adjusted her camera case, her gaze on the stream as she searched for the easiest way down the slope to the water.

Then he shoved her.

Iona ran as hard and as fast as she could, her arms pumping and her gaze straight ahead. She didn't look back, though she wanted to desperately. She waited for the pain from a bullet, but none came. As soon as she cleared the forest, she leapt over larger rocks in her haste to get to the water. It didn't take her but a second to find where she originally crossed the stream and run to the other side.

*   *   *

Laith didn't watch Iona to see if she made it to the stream. He stepped away from the oak and took three long strides to the next tree where he grabbed the mercenary by the back of his collar and slammed him face-first into the bark.

The merc crumpled to the ground as three others stepped out from their hiding spots. Laith didn't waste time in toying with them. There was one missing, and he knew the arse had gone after Iona.

The mercenaries didn't use guns, as they didn't have any. They had knives and Tasers, both of which they had at the ready.

Laith smiled coldly at the three remaining men as they closed in on him. He contemplated using his power of paralyzing gas, but the need to punch something was too strong. It took all his patience to wait until they were close enough, and then with a quick shift of his weight, he knocked one out with a punch to his jaw, and kicked the other back into a tree, slamming his head against it.

With only one left, Laith leaned to the side to avoid the Taser. Before the merc even knew what was happening, Laith was behind him, choking off his air.

As much as Laith wanted to kill the guy, he didn't. He waited until the merc was unconscious, and dropped him next to the others.

Before the man hit the ground, Laith was running after Iona. While he raced toward her, he opened the mental link between all Dragon Kings and told the others what happened in quick order, as well as where the four unconscious mercenaries lay.

Then Laith severed the link. He needed to focus on Iona, not be bogged down with questions he knew Con would have. Laith was faster than Iona. Even with losing the few precious moments fighting, he easily caught up with her.

He didn't rush to her. Instead, he held back, watching the mercenary trail her. Laith didn't understand what the man wanted. There was ample opportunity for him to attack.

It almost looked as if he were trying to catch Iona instead of kill her. Laith changed his position so that he would come up behind the merc. The rain kept the man from hearing Laith's approach. Laith waited until Iona turned down the path that led to the cottage, and then sprang at the mercenary.

The momentum took both him and the mercenary to the ground. They rolled while the man tried to stab Laith. They came to a sudden stop, putting the mercenary on top, but Laith got the upper hand and landed two quick punches to the man's kidneys and another in his throat. With the merc wheezing, Laith took the opportunity and slammed his elbow into the side of the mercenary's head. With a quick inhale, Laith released the paralyzing gas, watching it billow around the mercenary as he jerked before falling over.

Laith shoved the man off him and got to his feet. He stared down at the man. “You came onto the wrong land. And you messed with the wrong woman. Doona worry. I'm no' going to kill you. You'll be detained by my friends, and we'll keep you until you give us all the information we need.”

Next, Laith leaned over the man, and punched him to knock him out. Not because the gas would wear off anytime soon, but because Laith needed to vent some of his anger.

It took no time for Laith to catch up with Iona before she reached the cottage. She turned around swinging before he had a chance to say anything. Laith deflected her blows, impressed that she knew enough to defend herself. She gasped when she recognized him and lowered her arms. Her chin dropped to her chest as she stood shivering in the rain.

She didn't fling her arms around him or faint. She was frightened, but she held her own. A strong woman in a world filled with evil, danger, and death.

“It's over,” he said above the thunder. “They willna be bothering you again.”

She raised her coffee-colored eyes to him. “Are you sure it was me they were after?”

“Positive.” He motioned to the cottage. “Let's get you inside.”

*   *   *

Iona was never more conscious of a man as she was of Laith in her house. A wall separated them, and she found she hated that wall. She also hated that she couldn't stop thinking about Laith. How she looked for any opportunity to get close to him that he might touch her. How sad was that?

She closed her eyes and groaned. She was sad. Sad and depressed. Was she that hard up for some attention that she was willing to practically throw herself at a man who might not be as interested as she hoped he was? She sighed and opened her eyes. Laith was a man who went after what he wanted. If he wanted her, he would have made a move already.

With the towel in hand, she wrung out her hair and stripped out of her clothes before wiping herself down. She put on a new pair of panties and a bra. As she looked in her bag, she realized she didn't have anything to wear. All of it was in need of washing.

Iona wrapped the towel around her and hurried from her room to her father's. She opened three drawers before she found a pair of sweatpants and a shirt. She let the towel drop to the floor and stepped into the sweats that were several sizes too big. She rolled them up repeatedly at the waist. Iona reached for the shirt she had tossed on the bed when she looked to the doorway and found Laith.

He said nothing, simply stared, his eyes slowly drifting down her body before moving back up again. Her mouth went dry. Iona slowly straightened as their gazes locked, held.

Laith stepped into the room and closed the distance between them. He halted in front of her, his hands resting on her hips. Iona shivered again, this time for an entirely different reason.

Heat infused her wherever Laith touched. Breathing became difficult as he caressed up her sides until he cupped her face. His head lowered, and she rose up to meet him. Their lips met, sending sparks of desire and need zipping through her. He moaned, low and needful, causing her knees to weaken. She wrapped her arms around his waist and simply held on.

There was nothing else to do. Laith captured her interest, her mind, and her body with simply a look. Iona was out of her element, adrift in a sea of passion she couldn't navigate.

And for once, she didn't want to.

He kissed her again, pulling her lower lip into his mouth before releasing her. Iona sunk her nails into his back, silently begging him to continue. His lips found her again, except this time he wasn't content with just tasting her lips. His tongue slid into her mouth while his arms moved to wrap around her and tug her tighter.