Throne of Oak (Maggie's Grove) (16 page)

It was Laurentiu who flinched back, his horrified gaze turning to Trajan. “You mated a human? And a male?”

Greer leaned in and whispered in Mina’s ear, “Child of his heart, huh? Isn’t that incest?”

Mina elbowed him in the side, trying to keep her attention focused on Laurentiu. It was like Greer was giddy. A side effect of Dominic’s healing, perhaps? She just didn’t know enough about unicorn healing to be sure, but he was being even sillier than normal.

If he wasn’t careful, he’d find himself charbroiled.

“Humans are beneath us. You know this.”

“He’s my mate.” Trajan took his place by Vasile’s side. “And as such, my brothers support our joining.”

Laurentiu sighed wearily. “Of course they do.” Laurentiu turned once more to Vasile. “You correctly cite the law. I cannot challenge Dragomir, as he is an outcast and abomination. I accept your challenge, and will destroy him after I win and his entire clutch with him.”

“Good luck with that.” Greer grinned, his silver sword flashing into his hand.

Laurentiu ignored Greer. “The rules of engagement are clear. You have six days to prepare before we meet on the field of battle. None may interfere. Any cheating will result in a forfeit of life on the part of the cheater, with all properties dispensed to the winner or the winner’s family.”

“Of which you now have none.”

Laurentiu smiled. “Don’t I?”

Oh, Mina did not like the sound of that. Laurentiu was up to something.

“Father—”

Laurentiu waved his hand dismissively. “Name your second.”

Vasile glanced at Trajan, who nodded. “Trajan Ibanescu will, as always, stand by my side.”

Trajan bowed. Only the brothers and Mina knew how they’d danced warily around each other, pawns in their father’s games of power. To everyone else, the brothers acted as one.

Laurentiu turned his back on the brothers and shifted, branches breaking as his form expanded to fill the area. With a cry he leapt into the sky.

His dragons, however, did something extraordinary. More than half of them turned to Vasile and Trajan, surrounding the brothers, still in human form.

The rest moved to an area that had been cleared by fire before shifting, taking to the sky after their Prince.

“Can you do this?” Dragos’s voice dragged her attention away from the flying figures. He was staring at Vasile, his expression concerned. “Can you kill him?”

Vasile nodded once.

It was apparently enough for Dragos, because he wrapped an arm around Mina’s waist and sagged against her, nearly taking her to the ground. “Good. I think...I need some rest.”

“Hungry?” Mina wobbled under his weight until Greer took up position on his other side, relieving her of a great deal of the burden.

“Starving. Think we can do something about that?”

She doubted he could do more than feed right now, but the wicked gleam in his gaze said he was up to trying. “I think we can manage something.”

“TMI, guys.” Greer tsk’d. “T. M. I.”

Chapter Twelve

“
Dragos.
”

Dragos fought the overly sweet voice that called to him. There was something wrong with it, something...slimy. He didn’t want to listen to that voice. The only voice he wanted in his mind was—

“
Dragos.
Sweetheart
,
I
know you can hear me.
”

That soft drawl was a familiar one, but there was an odd echo to it that wasn’t familiar at all. Why wouldn’t it leave him alone?

“
Come on
,
lover.
Wakey-wakey.
”

He flinched. Only one person had the right to call him that, and it wasn’t the owner of the voice. “Go ‘way.” The sun was still high in the sky, and he was sore from the previous night’s battle. He shouldn’t be awake, and if he was, the beast should be ascendant, not Dragos.

Something was definitely wrong. He struggled to wake, to push the voice away, but it wouldn’t let go. “
You don’t really want that
,
do you?
” A ghost hand dragged surprisingly sharp nails down his chest. “
I’ve missed you.
”

He flinched away from the sensation, revulsion making his stomach roll. The owner of that voice should not be touching him, not when he was naked. Mina wouldn’t like—

Mina.

That was his lover, the one entitled to call him sweetheart. Not the owner of the saccharine, viperous voice.

He opened his eyes to find himself alone in Mina’s bed. Once everyone had left the Throne the night before Mina and Greer had hauled Dragos through the secret door. Greer had assisted Mina in taking Dragos to her bedroom before leaving them alone. Dragos had no idea where the other dryad had gone, and he hadn’t been in any position to care. Dragos had been unable to make love to Mina the way he’d hoped, but at least he’d slept in her bed, his
sotiei
in his arms.

Until now, anyway.

What had dragged him out of his day sleep? And where was Mina? The thought that she might be in danger from the voice was unbearable.

“
I
know where you are
,
lover.
”

He recognized that voice now that his mind was no longer muddled. “Kate.” Hell. He’d hoped Selena had gotten rid of Kate’s influence over him once and for all.

Apparently not.

“
Mm-hmm.
Did you think you could hide from me?
”

He rolled his eyes. “Do we have to descend into bad villain dialog?”

“
Very funny.
”

She sounded amused rather than irritated. Dragos could almost see the reluctant smile on her lips. A pang went through him for his former lover. He’d been one of the few people who could coax a laugh out of her. Damn it. When had it all gone wrong? They should have become friends after he found his
sotiei
, not enemies. “I try.”

“
You need to come home
,
Dragos.
”

She sounded so reasonable, like he was going to miss a simple appointment if he didn’t return to his mansion right away. “I don’t think so.”

“Sotiei
or no
,
you belong with me.
”

“I belong to Mina.” And he always would, no matter what evil spell Kate came up with.

“
Do you have any idea what I could do to Mina if you don’t return to me?
I’m so deep in her mind I can drive her insane before Selena can reach her.
There would be nothing you could do to save her.
”

“
You’re
the one who’s been tormenting Mina?”

Hell. He should have known. Mina’s nightmares—the way the creature in her head changed from Terri to Laurentiu after they found out his father was on the way—should have been a clue. Kate had met Trajan, knew the dragons were coming. She had access to his office in city hall, and she’d let herself into his home.

Even the pain she’d inflicted should have told him. It was caused by weeds, but even weeds—no matter what Amara said—were connected to the earth. All witches were connected to the earth, even the black ones. Except for the witch doctor, who was somehow tied into the spirit world.

Kate wanted him, and was willing to do anything necessary to get him. Up to and including torturing his
sotiei
until he had no choice but to leave her before Kate destroyed her.

His beast fought him, and he struggled to get it under control. The sun was still in the sky. If he went after Kate now, they would burn before they could reach her, leaving Mina vulnerable.

That thought was the only thing that stopped the beast in its tracks. They could not leave Mina alone, not with homicidal Van Helsings and dragon princes running around.

“
Guilty as charged.
”

“The witches will have something to say about this.”

He’d had no idea that a person could hear someone snorting a laugh in his head. “
Please.
The white witches are so busy sniffing flowers they barely notice anything else around them
,
and the grays won’t care as long as I don’t go after them.
You know that.
”

Kate seriously underestimated the white witches of Maggie’s Grove if she thought they wouldn’t take steps against her. She’d broken their most sacred law—An it harm none, do what thou wilt. By torturing Mina for her own selfish gain, she’d proven to be among the worst of the black witches.

Unfortunately, she was right about the gray witches. Unless it directly impacted them, they wouldn’t act. Not without some concession from the white.

And the black who would deign to notice her actions would probably applaud them.

“Why am I not surprised to find out you’re the one behind all this?” He’d been warned. Eddy’s reaction should have told him all he needed to know. But he’d been so caught up in Laurentiu and Van Helsings he’d ignored everything else, even the danger Kate posed.

“
I
can make her hurt at any time
,
Dragos.
And you’re the one who can make it stop.
”

“How?” The question slipped out before he could censor it. Damn it. He’d do almost anything to get Mina’s pain to end. Already the sun threatened to drag him back into deep sleep, making him incautious.

“
Come to me.
Let me bind you.
Let me love you again.
I
give you my word that if you do
,
Mina will be free to live out her life however she sees fit.
”

That had the ring of magic to it. She’d literally bound herself to her own word. If he broke his mating with Mina and accepted Kate, Mina would be free.

“
Don’t even think about it
,
Mr.
Ibanescu.
” Mina’s voice was a welcome one, even if it was only in his mind.

“I wouldn’t dream of it, my dear.”

“
Good.
I’d hate to have to hunt you down.
”

Mina would, too. She’d take out Kate and re-stake her claim to him, magic be damned. “Where are you, my
sotiei
?”

“
Safe
,
for now.
But Ms.
Kate?
I’m informing Selena of your actions this day.
You will be made to pay for your attempt to break a lawful mating through magic.
” The stern warning rang through his head, through the unwanted connection with Kate, with all the determination of his Queen behind it. The dryad queen’s connection to the earth would add an extra punch the witch would be unable to ignore.

Kate would do well to heed the warning. Selena was not a witch to be trifled with. She would act without hesitation to free him from Kate’s clutches, if only so she could say
I
told you so.

He sensed Kate’s withdrawal. Whatever was going to happen, she’d be ready for it. The witches in town, even those that followed a dark path, respected Selena and her strength. Or, at the very least, they feared her. “She’s gone, Mina.”

“
For now.
Until we get her dealt with
,
this won’t end.
She’ll continue to try and use me against you.
”

“She won’t succeed.” Breaking his bond with Mina would break him. Kate obviously knew about his draconic heritage, but she probably had no idea that both his vampiric
and
his draconic beasts would fight him on breaking the mating. At best, Kate would have a living husk, a vampire with no beast. A creature incapable of human thought or will—he would be a ghoul in the truest sense of the word. He would eat the flesh of others along with drinking their blood, unable to sate the hunger that would dwell within him constantly. The dragon inside him would die, never to be reborn, his magic lost forever.

At worst, it would destroy all three of them. His beasts would live, but destroy Kate and rampage through the town, killing everything and everyone in their path to find the one person who could soothe them. But the bond would be broken, Mina unable to reach him on any level, and in their grief he would kill her. He would have to be put down, destroyed, before he took the whole town out.

“
Not going to happen
,
Dragos.
I
swear.
We’ll get this fixed.
”

“I hope so, my
sotiei
.” He yawned, unable to keep his eyes open a moment longer.

“
Go back to sleep.
You still have a few hours until sunset.
”

He didn’t even have the strength to wish her good night.

* * *

“Dragos? You up?” It was barely sunset, but Dragos was an older vampire, used to waking before the sun had fully set. She entered her bedroom, expecting to find him moving around, preparing for his day.

What she saw had her smiling in a sappy, sentimental way that would have had Greer teasing her for a month.

Dragos was splayed out across her bed, his dark hair tousled, his lashes thick against his cheek. The sheet had slipped down, exposing the strong lines of his back, cupping the firm curve of his ass. He looked so peaceful, so innocent lying there. The cares he carried around with him as the town’s mayor drifted away in sleep, leaving him oddly vulnerable. She wanted to curl up next to him, run her hands down the length of his back and see if he purred.

Kate wouldn’t have him, not if Mina had anything to say about it. She was just grateful he
couldn’t
accept Laurentiu’s challenge. That was one worry off her mind. Vasile would become the Prince, and the dragons would no longer be an issue. She was certain of it. And if Laurentiu cheated, as she feared he might, she’d step in herself and kill the bastard just to make sure he never again laid a hand on Dragos.

She licked her lips and turned her attention once more to his face.

The slow, sexy curl of his lips had her stomach doing flip-flops. The glazed, sleepy look in his eyes had her nerves screaming to run. “Good evening.”

She had to laugh. That slow drawl, in that deliberately thickened Romanian accent, brought to mind only one thing. “Good evening, Count Dorkula.”

He chuckled and rolled over, the sheet dipping even lower to reveal the saddle of his hips and the dark thatch of hair just above his cock. “It could be better.”

Oh, someone felt up to playing. “Could it?” Heat curled through her as his gaze raked up and down her body. She felt suddenly overdressed.

“I’m hungry, my
sotiei
.” He kicked the sheet off, revealing that magnificent body of his. His cock jutted out, leading the way as he sauntered toward her, his intent clear.

If he had his way she’d be naked in two seconds flat.

Mina waited for a second, debating. Fun, fuck, or both?

There was really no contest. She went with both.

Mina darted out of the open doorway like the hounds of hell were after her, streaking through the apartment toward the doorway and freedom. Not that Dragos wouldn’t fuck her in the heart of the Throne. At some point he’d have to if their bond was going to be complete.

But tonight? Tonight she wanted to play, and
then
she wanted to fuck.

Dragos was on her so fast she didn’t even have time to gasp. Twin pricks of white-hot pain were her only warning before pure liquid lust shot through her system. Every pull on her neck felt like he’d scraped his tongue across her clit, and her nipples throbbed with unfulfilled need.

She whimpered as he took her to the ground, the predator in him quickly overcoming her. He cupped her pussy through her jeans, stroking her over the material, driving her insane with desire. The hard cock pressing against her ass only aggravated her need to get naked, get him inside her
now
.

When he’d drunk his fill he lifted his mouth from her neck. Muttering something in Romanian he ripped her clothes from her, his hunger for more than blood overpowering both their senses. She could hear him in her mind—an odd echo of his words mixed with raw want that had her trembling beneath him.

Submitting.

She wanted to give him everything he desired in a way she never had before. She needed to make him whole, make him feel the same oneness that she felt whenever he touched her. Soon, she’d take him to her tree, bind him to her in the way of the dryads, rock his world in a way he’d never dreamed of before.

The voice in her mind that had been tormenting her for weeks was silent, but anger that did not belong to either her or Dragos flared through her. This time, she did more than ignore it.

She gave it everything she had.

Every ounce of pleasure Dragos wrung from her flesh was shared. When he finally got her naked and pressed her face down to the floor, she let her enemy know exactly how good it felt. When his cock dragged across the crack of her ass, she shared the sensation of the wet, erotic trail he left behind. The nibbles to her neck that sent shivers down her spine, the way he held her wrists and kept her exactly where he wanted her—all was shown to her enemy, letting Kate know
exactly
what Dragos was doing with her, to her. She squirmed against him, trying to get closer, to enhance the sensations coursing through her, in a dance as old as the forest itself. He hissed his approval, nipping her shoulder blade hard enough to draw blood once more.