Throne of Oak (Maggie's Grove) (13 page)

She scowled, making her pretty face ugly. “Mina.”

“Mina.” Dragos wasn’t going to apologize again. Kate was being nasty, and she had no cause to be. He’d never made her any promises. He thought they’d both known that someday his
sotiei
would appear, and their relationship would end. He would be drawn to his
sotiei
as to no other. There would be no denying the bond, and there hadn’t been. The moment Mina set foot in the town hall that day, he’d known she was his, and he hers.

Kate no longer mattered.

There was no room for Kate in his life now that he had Mina. How could Kate not understand that? Everyone who lived in Maggie’s Grove understood the mate bond. Even witches had their own version of it. Fighting a mate bond was like fighting the wind. There was no way you could win.

“Mina is nothing. She can’t even leave the Throne. How is she supposed to help you rule Maggie’s Grove?”

He hoped to hell he managed to keep the shock off his face. Apparently, she
was
going to try and fight the wind. “She will rule her people as she always has.”

“As Queen of the Forest, yes. Lady of the Throne, of course. But first lady of Maggie’s Grove? I think not.” She ran a finger between her breasts, apparently hoping her charms outmatched Mina’s. “You need
me
, Dragos, not Mina. Mina can’t be for you what I can.”

Dragos smiled, his teeth sharp. He let his eyes slip—the pupils slit, the irises red. He knew what he looked like as his beast responded to the threat to his
sotiei
. “I think not.”

Her eyes went wide just for a second before she reached for the fob hanging from her purse. “Dragos. Admit it, I’m right. And I’ve loved you for years—you know that.”

He
did
know that. She’d been by his side, helping him, loving him for so long he’d forgotten what it was like to be alone.

The smell of cinnamon filled him, overpowering even her heated scent.

“Together we can be so much more...” She took a step toward him, her eyes glowing with love and lust.

Dragos felt his cock twitch as she glanced at his desk and licked her lips. Visions of how he’d taken her there—bent her over the polished wood on more than one occasion, riding her until they both screamed their completion—filled his mind.

“Let me show you.” She stroked his chest, practically purring with desire. “Let me remind you how good it is between us.”

Dragos shuddered as her fingers tweaked his nipple. Goddess above, yes. He remembered how good she’d felt, how warm and wet—

“
Dragomir Ibanescu!
You stop that thought right there.
”

Dragos jolted under Kate’s hand. Who dared interrupt him when he was about to—

“
Dragomir Ibanescu!
Attend me.
”

Dragos took a step back. No. This was wrong. Something was going on. There was someone in his head, someone who didn’t belong.

“Dragos?” Kate frowned, her concern touching. “You need to listen to me.”

“
Dragomir Ibanescu!
” He gasped at the third calling of his name, his mind cleared of whatever it was Kate had been doing to him—the magic of his name breaking Kate’s hold over him. “
Your
sotiei
calls to you.
”

Dragos screeched, his dragon ready to destroy the woman who’d almost caused him to betray his
sotiei
. “Witch! Back away from me before I kill you.”

Kate glared at him, her determination written all over her face. “You belong to me, Dragomir Ibanescu, by blood, by scent, by seed and by soul.” She smiled grimly. “And if you think I’m giving you up to anyone, even your
sotiei
, you are sadly mistaken.” She pulled something off of her purse and threw it on the ground.

Thick black smoke poured from the broken vial, the rotten egg smell of sulfur filling his office. Somewhere off in the distance he heard a scream—recognized it as Eddy’s—but he couldn’t move, couldn’t react. Whatever Kate had done had paralyzed him, left him helpless to respond.

Kate walked through the smoke unharmed. She stroked his cheek. “I’m so sorry, Dragos. I truly do love you, you know. But I can’t allow Mina to have you, not now. There’s far too much at stake.”

What was it with witches and crazy obsessions? Kate was unhinged. And dangerous. Far too dangerous to be allowed to live. He couldn’t risk another Terri, couldn’t allow—

Kate began to chant, the sound distant, the words unknowable, yet terrifyingly familiar. There was an odd echo to them he’d never before heard in her magic. The language she chanted in was malevolent, evil at its very core. He felt her words shiver through his bones, and realized finally what she’d done.

Sympathetic magic. Damn it, she’d used him, taken parts of him, and was now binding him to her through his own body. If she completed her ritual and joined them together there would be only two things that could break the spell: Kate’s death, and his
sotiei
.

“
It’s okay
,
Dragos.
We’ll get through this together.
I’m sending help.
”

Kate had one thing right. Mina was trapped in the Throne, unable to physically save him. But that didn’t mean his
sotiei
was helpless. Just the knowledge that Mina was protecting him from afar made everything better. She wouldn’t allow Kate to win.

Kate had just made the mother of all enemies, and Dragos couldn’t wait to see how it all played out.

He’d even bring snacks.

Kate paused, the chant halted midstream. She looked behind her, an expression of terror on her face. “Shit.” She turned back to Dragos. “Remember, Ibanescu. You’re mine.” She kissed him, tasted him, taking even more of his essence within her. “I’ll be back for you.”

She disappeared into the smoke as Trajan barreled into the room, an unconscious Eddy cradled in his arms, a wild look of anger and horror on his face. “Dragos, are you all right? Eddy told me you were in danger just before he passed out.”

Dragos tried to answer, but he couldn’t move. Thankfully, as a vampire, he didn’t need to breathe, but without taking in air he couldn’t speak. “
Was Trajan the help you were sending?
”

“
No.
They’ll be there shortly.
”

Ash and Greer, then. The two men were going to get heartily sick of Dragos’s office.

Trajan nodded once, and gently laid Eddy on the sofa. “I’m calling Vasile.”

Dragos really wanted to tell his brother to call Selena. There wasn’t much a dragon could do to release him. Despite the fact that they were made of magic, they were still vulnerable to spells. He had natural resistances, but Kate had more than enough of his essence to work her magic on him. She must have been collecting his hair, his semen and his nail clippings for months to have this deep a hold over him.

He watched in frozen silence as Trajan summoned Vasile to them. “Vasile Ibanescu!”

“You called?”

Vasile didn’t waste any time. He flashed right into the room. If Eddy had been awake he’d have passed out again from shock. Vasile had always been the strongest of them magically. His ability to flash in and out of spaces was rivaled by none. Not even Dragos had his precision, preferring to find an open space rather than risk a crowded room. He had no desire to become part of the furniture.

Their father might not want to acknowledge it, but Vasile was the strongest dragon to ever live. Dragos was certain of it.

Trajan pointed toward Dragos. “Some witch has hexed our brother.” He turned his attention back to his mate, caressing Eddy’s hair and crooning softly in Romanian.

Vasile winced. “Ouch, brother. How did this happen?” He held up his hand. “No, don’t answer that.”

Trajan chuckled.

Vasile sauntered around Dragos, studying him. “This requires a witch to fix.”

“Witch
doctor
.” Eddy moaned and clasped his head. “Is the big bad gone?”

“Yes, little one,” Trajan crooned, scooping Eddy up into his arms. He sat on the sofa and cuddled Eddy close. “She’s gone, but her spell lingers.”

“Who is the witch doctor?” Vasile rolled his eyes as Trajan cooed over Eddy.

“Selena Giannone. She’s in Dragos’s phonebook. Or you can take his cell from his pocket. She’s on speed dial...number three.” Eddy laid his head back on Trajan’s shoulder, his face pale. Lines of pain had formed around his eyes and mouth.

“My mate is sick.” Trajan stroked Eddy’s back gently.

“My gift and my curse. I’ll be fine with some rest.” Eddy sighed wearily. “It will pass now that Kate’s gone.”

“She will not come near you again. I will see to it.” Trajan’s voice was soft, full of affection, but his eyes as he stared at Dragos were purple. His dragon was close to the surface.

Eddy shivered hard. “You’ll kill her.”

“Shh.” Trajan stroked Eddy’s hair. “If Dragos does not, yes. I will.”

Eddy snuggled close and allowed Trajan to pet him. “Good.”

Trajan smiled down at his mate, his expression disgustingly happy.

“Ugh. I’m no longer certain I want to find my mate.” Vasile shuddered in mock disgust. “Ah. Here it is.” He picked up the phone and dialed the number listed in Dragos’s phone book.

If he could have, Dragos would have groaned. Selena was going to give him a pure ration of shit over this. He couldn’t blame her. She’d warned him more than once about Kate, and he’d ignored her warnings, choosing instead to believe in his affection for Kate and hers for him.

Or had he? Considering Kate’s power over him, had he truly been attracted to her, or had it been a spell all along?

“She’s on her way.” Vasile turned off the phone and placed it back in the charger. “She sounds...feisty.”

Dragos heard the hint of attraction in Vasile’s voice, but couldn’t warn his brother away. Although Vasile was powerful, Ashton Ward was a ruling dryad.

Vasile wouldn’t even know what hit him.

“She’s taken, even if she doesn’t want to acknowledge it.” Eddy yawned. “Ash and Greer are on their way?”

“Who?” Vasile frowned as he glanced at Dragos. “Oh. Your mate’s compatriots.”

Eddy yawned again. “Ash belongs to Selena.”

Vasile’s brows rose. “That’s an interesting way to put it.”

Dragos’s pinky finger twitched. Hallelujah. Maybe the spell was wearing off.

“Not really. Trajan belongs to me. I’m the weaker of the two of us, but he’d do anything I asked of him.”

“Mm—hmm. You keep telling yourself that, my mate.” But Trajan never once stopped petting Eddy.

Now Vasile really looked intrigued. “Meaning Selena is the more powerful of the two?”

“And out of your league, so don’t even try.” Ash stepped into the room, his green gaze diamond hard as he stared at Vasile.

“Ashton Ward, I take it?”

Ash bowed—elegant and lethal. “At your service.”

Vasile chuckled. “I haven’t met your mate. She must be deadly indeed.”

Ash merely smiled, but there was a twinge of respect in his eyes. Vasile had not underestimated Ash, the first step to warming the dryad. Now to see if his brother did the same with Greer.

If he could see past Greer’s facade, he’d prove himself to the dryads once and for all.

“Move, damn it. Mina wants a report.” Greer shoved past Ash and stopped dead at the sight of Eddy curled up in Trajan’s arms. “’Bout damn time. No one likes it when a dragon sobs into his cornflakes.”

Eddy flipped Greer off, much to his obvious amusement.

“Known many dragons, have you?” Vasile crossed his arms and stared at Greer, but Dragos could tell most of his attention was on Ash. It was why so few people ever saw Greer coming. Ash was the obvious threat, the “alpha” male you kept your eye on lest you find him at your throat.

Greer was not silent, but he was far more deadly.

“Dragos, what have you done this time?”

Selena sauntered into the room and he would have laughed if he’d had breath. She was wearing her favorite pair of faded tight jeans and a bright red T-shirt that read
Magically Delicious.
From the look on Ash’s face, he certainly wanted to find out whether or not it was false advertising.

“If nmt mi fmt.” Well. At least he could get
something
out, even if it didn’t make a damn bit of sense.

“Kate hexed him.” Eddy didn’t even open his eyes. “She’s gone way over to the dark side.”

Selena sighed. “Dragos.”

He rolled his eyes, and considered it progress.

Eddy suddenly giggled.

“What is it,
iubita mea
?” Trajan hadn’t once stopped petting Eddy, but from the way Eddy cuddled up against his mate Dragos didn’t think he minded.

“I keep waiting for him to mutter ‘oil can, oil can!’”

Eddy was going to find his cookie stash missing if he kept this up.

“It’s so damn tempting to yell at you since I’ve got a captive audience, but I’m going to prove I’m the bigger, better person here.” She tilted her head. “You know what? Never mind. Consider me small and petty.” She slapped him upside the head, shaking her hand out with a wince when he didn’t budge. “I told you so, asshole.” She shook her finger at him. “And your hard head hurt my hand.”

“Let me kiss it better.” Ash took her hand before she could blink, pressing a kiss to her palm.

She glared before taking a step back. “What did we discuss about personal space?”

Ash smiled, and Selena shivered. “Personally, Selena, I don’t give a damn.” Electric sparks jumped between them, forcing Ash to let Selena go. The predatory smile remained, becoming sharper. “I hate it when you do that.”

“I know.” Selena dusted off her hands and turned toward Dragos, ignoring the sudden scowl on Ash’s face. “Let’s start scraping off whatever it is you’ve managed to step in, shall we?”

“
I
need to do something about those two
,
don’t I?
”

Dragos couldn’t answer. He was too busy bracing himself. From the look on Selena’s face, this was going to hurt like a son of a—

Chapter Ten

Mina shook her head, the throbbing pain not hers, but Dragos’s. It was so sudden, so intense, she felt dizzy.

What the hell was Selena doing to Dragos? Driving spikes into his eyes?

She rubbed her forehead and prayed Dragos understood why she’d severed the connection. Even without trying to maintain it she could feel him in the back of her mind, the pain waiting to drive her to her knees. If she relaxed for even a second and let him back in, that agony would come rushing into her mind, swamping her senses. She doubted she’d be able to remain conscious. How Dragos was doing so was beyond her comprehension, but he was, and doing his own part to shield her from his suffering.

Ash and Greer would help him, and now that he’d made up with his brothers they, too, would protect him. She doubted Trajan
or
Vasile would let Dragos out of their sight for the foreseeable future. If Kate could get to him in his own home, she could get to him anywhere.

And that was unacceptable.

Damn it. Van Helsings, dragon brothers, and now Kate. What else was going to jump out and bite them in the ass?

Mina jumped as a roar erupted in the night, shattering the quiet evening and sending the animals scurrying for cover. That didn’t sound like any creature she’d heard before—and she’d heard the cries of quite a few. For one thing it was
loud
, shaking-the-trees loud, and so low it vibrated through her bones. For another, it was close, closer than she’d thought as a sudden wind blew the leaves of the oak, ash, birch and yew in the sacred circle.

Flame erupted in the night—a yellowish-orange so bright it nearly blinded her—setting the trees outside the ring on fire.

Shit. If that spread, if it got out of control in the least, the entire forest could go.

Mina ran for her throne. She couldn’t hide, not now. Couldn’t get out of the way of the beast that was coming for her. The branches of her oak swayed, the leaves rustling as she settled herself on her throne. She closed her eye and reached out to the trees and shrubs surrounding the Throne, feeling their pain as the fire scorched bark and withered leaves. She sent out feelers through root and branch, leaf and sap, slipping into the collective consciousness of the forest as only the Queen could.

She had to warn them, warn them all. The cry went out—the Queen summoning the elementals, the animals, the very trees themselves to the defense of the Throne. None would be able to ignore the summons, not the lowliest water sprite or the greatest dryad in town, Amara. They would all come.

She only prayed they would not be too late.

Mina settled fully on her throne, her senses stretched to the limit, reaching through the forest and beyond to summon her defenders. Ash and Greer answered the call, racing through town with a speed that would have startled any but those who knew them. Amara’s touch glanced across her mind—her mate flying her through the night sky at vampiric speed. Noah, safe in town, heard her cry and, using his gifts, summoned the town’s shifters to him. She would have an army of weres guarding her within the hour.

It wouldn’t be soon enough. Already she could feel the creature returning, banking above the forest, setting itself for another run at the Throne, another chance to set her world aflame. She dug her fingers into the edge of her throne, pushing herself further than she ever had before. Sweat broke out across her brow as, through the roots of the plants in the town, she called and
called
, leaning on the strength of ash and birch to boost the power behind her cry for aid. The great oak swayed above her. It was just as frightened of the flame as she was, but that didn’t stop it from lending her even greater strength. The great oak would not allow the forest to die...

But Mina knew the truth. If they didn’t get help soon, nothing would save the forest.

As for the town...

The whole town could be destroyed if she allowed the fire to spread. She’d seen it, seen the newscasts of other places where forest fires weren’t contained, had seen the devastation they could unleash.

No.
Not on my watch.
She would not be the Queen who lost Maggie’s Grove.

She barely felt it when the flames erupted again, the protections surrounding the Throne holding it at bay. If nothing else survived, the Throne would. The forest could be rebuilt from there, but it was not a scenario she was willing to contemplate. Far too many of her people would lose their lives in the conflagration.

Mina opened her eyes. She’d done everything she could, put heart and soul into her call. It was time to fight for her land, her people. She summoned her sword with a flick of her wrists and stood, prepared to do what every Oak had done since Maggie’s Grove had been founded.

Defend her territory.

May the Goddess have mercy on whoever was attacking the forest, because they’d roused the Queen.

Mina felt Dragos moving toward her as she stood, her sword gleaming like blood in the flicker of the flames surrounding her. The entire Throne was encircled in fire—the heat baking her skin, the breeze it kicked up lifting her hair from her neck. She stared into the black sky beyond the edge of the flames, looking for some clue as to what, or who, her attacker was.

She had a fair idea, but until she was certain she would withhold her judgment.

Mina stood in the center of the Throne and raised her arms.

Her forest responded. Branches whipped through the air, ready to slash vulnerable wings. Thorny vines trailed up trunks, ready to rend and tear through scale and flesh. The earth itself rose at her command, swamping the fires on the ground, trying to put it out before it was truly started.

Mina could hear a grinding sound, like stone on stone, in the distance. The earth elementals were on their way.

She felt the impact of two feet hitting the ground behind her. “Amara.”

“Mina.” From the sound of Amara’s deep, gravelly tones, Amara had already transformed. Turning, she saw that Amara was covered in what looked like brown bark, but instead of it being rigid the bark moved with her. Reddish leaves blew around her in a nonexistent wind. Her green eyes glowed with angry intent, the whites completely obscured. And she had to be at least three feet taller—topping just over eight feet—towering over Mina as she took a protective stance behind her.

Amara stared at the fires surrounding the Throne and shrieked, the sound filled with fury—the creaking and groaning of a thousand trees filling it with an inhuman rumble. “What do I need to kill?”

Mina pointed upward with her blade. “That.”

“Bloody
hell
.” Parker hit the ground so hard Mina nearly lost her balance. He sat up and shook his head, staring at the night sky in disbelief. “It’s a bloody fucking
dragon
.” He blinked, wiping dirt from his face. “A big one.”

“Are you injured?” Mina couldn’t tell, but Amara wasn’t losing her mind, so she assumed not. Still, hitting the dirt that hard had to have hurt.

Parker stood and shook himself before turning to Amara. “Stay back, sweet. I have no desire to find out how flammable you are.”

Before Amara could protest, he took off again, sending a shower of dirt behind him. Amara shrieked again, and Mina covered her ears.

Until the dragon landed, there was little Amara and Mina could do... Unless...

Yes. How could she have forgotten? This was not the first time a flying creature had attacked the Throne. It was rare, but it did happen.

She turned to Amara and gave a command the hamadryad would hate obeying. “Wait here.”

She bolted to her throne and tapped out the pattern that opened the doorway to her home. She dashed down the stairs, ignoring the witch-lights, and threw open her door. She raced toward the fireplace and lifted the glass off the ancient bow, praying that the string wouldn’t break.

It should. The whole bow should be brittle beyond belief, but as her hands touched the ancient wood, caressed the sinew, it brightened in her hands, becoming taut and polished and practically new. When she drew the string, testing it, a ghostly arrow formed, solid to all her senses save sight. It was utterly see-through, smoky and translucent.

“Huh.”

Mina flew up the steps, the bow in hand, ready to use it to shoot Laurentiu Ibanescu from the sky once and for all.

“
Stand firm
,
Mina
,
I
am almost there.
” She could hear the fury in Dragos’s voice. He meant to kill his father.

“
Be careful.
He didn’t come alone.
” The forest was reporting in—the knowledge that more than one dragon flew over her boundaries caused her to clench her teeth. Did Laurentiu mean to start a war with Maggie’s Grove? Was he arrogant enough to believe a clutch of dragons could destroy an entire town of mixed supernaturals?

They’d thought Laurentiu merely meant to challenge Dragos. Instead, he was setting her world ablaze.

“
All my father cares for is my demise
,
and perhaps that of Vasile and Trajan now that they’ve turned on him.
Attacking you as a means of drawing me out was a natural move on his part.
”

“
Goody.
” Mina raised the bow and drew the string, refusing to be distracted by the instantly formed smoke arrow. “
We’ll have a nice family reunion as we try out barbeque dragon.
”

“
Ugh.
No.
Thank you.
I’d much rather eat you.
”

Mina took a deep breath and waited. The son of a bitch would fly over the Throne, trying to break the defenses as he had on his last pass. When he did, she would be ready.

“
My father is periwinkle-blue.
He might be difficult to see in the night sky.
”

“
Thanks.
” She squinted up. The light of the fires were seriously interfering with her night vision.

“Close your eyes, and use the forest. Let the trees be your eyes.”

Amara was right. Mina closed her eyes and reached out, following the progress of the dragons through her connection to the forest.

There. One was closer than all the others, fouling the air above her with his flame. Mina let fly, aware the arrow had hit home when fiery hot blood dripped onto the forest floor.

“Nice shot.”

“Thanks.”

“Aim for the balls next. As much as I love Dragos, his father doesn’t need to reproduce anymore.”

Mina snorted. “Unless his mate is into necrophilia he won’t be.” She drew the bow again, ready to take down the dragon so Dragos wouldn’t have to.

* * *

His father could not have picked a worse time to attack the Throne. Dragos was still shaky from his run-in with Kate. So of
course
his father had to pick tonight to attack Mina and the Throne. There was only one reason his father would come here instead of into the town proper, one reason he’d choose to face the Queen rather than Dragos.

Mina was the lesser threat. If Laurentiu could kill Mina, Dragos would die as well—their bond severed. Dragos would pine away for his mate, dying slowly of starvation and loneliness. He
could
drink from others, extend his life long after Mina was gone, but...

It wouldn’t be worth it. Not without Mina.

Perhaps Laurentiu also saw this as a quick way to gain a foothold in America. He could have one of his loyal minions take over the town, run it the way Laurentiu saw fit. The clutch would profit off Maggie’s Grove, but his father would run it into the ground, taking Dragos’s hard-won sanctuary and turning it into nothing more than a slave state. The locals, more than likely led by Noah, would rebel, forcing Laurentiu to war with them.

If that happened the witches might not be able to keep things contained. The Van Helsings would soon find out and enter the fray.

Hell, the U.S. military might discover their presence, and then all hell would break loose.

Even if the humans didn’t get involved, he had no idea who would win in a fight between the town and the clutch. He certainly had no desire to find out. While the town housed some of the most powerful supernatural species in the world, the clutch was the personal clutch of the Prince of Dragons. They were
the
strongest among dragon-kind—fierce warriors who would follow their Prince into hell and back again.

There was only one way to stop him, to ensure that his father never threatened Maggie’s Grove again.

Dragos was going to have to kill him—in front of the whole town. Revealing that there really
was
a weredragon in Maggie’s Grove.

A red one.

If anyone in the town had studied the myths of the dragons, they’d know there was only one thing that could make a
red
dragon. It would prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that Dragos was that dragon.

A dragon who’d become a vampire turned bloodred, an abomination in the eyes of most dragon-kind. An untainted dragon’s scales were on the cooler end of the spectrum, the warmest being violet, the coldest being white. So a bloodred dragon was instantly recognizable for what it was—a vampiric one.

It was why his father had no real opposition from the clutch when he chose to drive Dragos out. Myth had it among his kind that a vampiric dragon was unable to control his appetites, would feast and feast on his own kind until the entire clutch was destroyed.

As a prince, Dragos would have had access to all dragon-kind, and they believed he would use that power to destroy them.

But Laurentiu knew the truth. Dragos had no desire to feast on draconic blood. In fact, the magic nature of the dragon ensured he had firm control over his hunger almost from the start, unlike a human who was turned. His sire, Katarn, had been able to leave him on his own within a week, taking off for parts unknown. Katarn would blow into town occasionally and check to make sure Dragos needed nothing, then leave as silently as he’d arrived.

Dragos landed in the center of the Throne, still in his human form for safety’s sake. He had no desire to become his sotiei’s pincushion. “The vampires are flying in some water elementals to deal with the fire, but if all the moisture is sucked from the air there won’t be much they can do.”