Wicked Dark Dragon (Dragon Heat) (9 page)

“I’m glad,” he said, visibly relaxing. “That’s all we ever wanted for you. We knew that sooner or later your destiny would catch up with you, but I’m pleased you were safe and happy.”

Thinking of the way her life had so drastically changed, Ivy asked, “What about now? Am I safe now?”

Mad used his brute strength to shift her on his lap. Her knees fell on either side of his thighs, and she was grateful for the sheet adding an extra barrier between their bodies. Even wearing clothes, she was insanely aware of the rigid heat of him trapped between her parted thighs. She wasn’t sure how much longer she could control the fierce urges racing through her.

With one hand on her upper back and the other ensnared in her hair, he fixed her with an intense stare. “No one will ever harm you again.” The tips of his ears went a bit red as he confessed, “My rescue of you didn’t quite go as planned, but I swear it will be the last time I let you down.”

“You didn’t let me down. I can’t believe you would even think that, Mad. You came for me. You protected me as best you could even though it meant putting your own life at risk. You got me out of there.” She cupped his handsome face in both hands. “I’m only alive because of you.”

“And my secrets are still safe because of you,” he said softly. With a little pressure to the back of her head, he coaxed her mouth toward his but didn’t claim her lips yet. “I want to kiss you again.”

“But?” Her heartbeat fluttered as fast as a hummingbird’s.

“But you’ve been through so much, and I’m sure this is all very confusing to you, Ivy. I don’t want you to feel rushed into anything. We have a long time to sort things out between us.”

Warmed by his concern for her, Ivy chose to take control. She captured his mouth, pressing their lips together briefly before daringly flicking the very tip of her tongue against his hot flesh. Mad let loose a hungry, needful groan when he granted her access. The rumbling waves of it vibrated through her chest and rippled right down to her toes.

Emboldened by his response, Ivy slid her arms along his broad shoulders and tilted her head so she could deepen the kiss. Mad groaned again, the sound rougher and huskier as her tongue danced with his. As if unable to hold back, he tightened his fingers around her hair and took control. She shuddered with excitement and arousal as his tongue did such naughty things. Silently, she conceded that no man had ever kissed her like this…and no man ever would again.

“Damn straight,” he growled in between kisses.

It was a remark that probably should have annoyed her because it assumed that she was going to choose him as her mate and go along with all that meant in the dragon world, but damned if she didn’t find the thought of belonging to him rather exhilarating. Teasing him, she whispered, “I’m not quite convinced yet.”

His green eyes glinted with amusement. “Is that right? Well, let’s see what we can do about that.”

She gasped when he displayed a shocking amount of speed and strength by flipping their positions. He jerked away the sheet twisted around his trim hips. Listening to an instinct as old as time, she wrapped her legs around his waist and inhaled a shaky breath when she realized just how good and how right it felt to have him sliding down on top of her. Was this the moment when everything would change?

With his hands planted on either side of her head, Mad plundered her mouth with that fantastically skilled tongue of his. He nibbled her lower lip and sucked hard on her swollen flesh before delving back inside and branding her with his heat. She gripped his shoulders and tried to remember to breathe. Of course, every lungful of air that she inhaled contained that deliciously enticing scent of him. She was nearly delirious with desire now.

Mad’s big, scarred hand glided along her rib cage and settled on her hip. Unable to help herself, she rocked against him, pressing the wet, feminine center of her body against the rock-hard length of him trapped behind a precariously thin barrier of cotton. He growled and surged against her, rubbing their bodies together in a way that sparked an electric jolt.

His hand sneaked under the borrowed shirt and swept along her bare stomach. When his fingertips brushed her breast, butterflies swarmed in her belly. Her ragged breaths competed with his. For a long moment, they simply stared at each other. They were hovering on the precipice—and she wasn’t sure if she was ready to make that leap.

Very slowly, he dragged his hand out from under her shirt. He caressed her face. “I’m sorry, Ivy. I didn’t mean to push you.”

Smiling up at him, she touched his hand. “I’m pretty sure I was the one who tossed gasoline onto the fire.”

He started to reply but glanced over his shoulder at the door. With an annoyed grunt, he climbed off of her and tugged the sheet up to her shoulders. “We’re about to have visitors.”

A second later, someone knocked loudly. He climbed off the bed but didn’t hurry to answer the door. Bending down, he planted a lingering kiss on her mouth. “We’ll table this discussion for now.”

“All right.” Hugging the sheet to her chest, she sat up and enjoyed the view of the boxer briefs perfectly outlining Mad’s taut backside as he crossed the room. Humming with need, Ivy suspected she wouldn’t be a card-carrying member of the V Club much longer.

M
ad couldn’t decide if he was happy or pissed at the interruption. After being in close quarters with Ivy and fighting off that delicious and arousing scent of her, the urge to seduce and show her pleasure was strong. On the other hand, he acknowledged that she had been through so much in the last month. She needed time to fully recover and get back to living her life before she made any big decisions about their future. The instant lust of an awakening mate bond was playing havoc with their hormones. They needed to take a breather and get some perspective before they made any rash decisions that impacted her future.

He jerked open the door. Griff, Niko, and Ignatius stood in the hallway bearing breakfast trays and shopping bags. He waved them inside. “Stig left?”

“You know how Stig is about Cora.” Ignatius brushed by him. “The moment he was assured you two were safe, he ran back to her.”

Mad didn’t blame the old Viking for wanting to get back to his beautiful mate. After spending so many days with Ivy, Mad couldn’t imagine being separated from her. Thankfully the university she attended was less than two hours from his home, but his stomach twisted painfully at the idea of being even that far away from her.

Griff’s massive hand squeezed his shoulder. “You’re looking better this morning.” His cousin’s gaze skipped to the bed, and he grinned. “And so is she.”

He shot Griff a warning look. His cousin had always had a way with women, but he wasn’t in any mood to watch Griff flirt with Ivy this morning. “She’s strong. She’ll recover.”

“You should feed her more.” Griff studied her as she spoke with Niko, who had presented her with a tray laden with high-calorie foods. “She’s a tiny little thing.”

“I like her just as she is.” Shifting the topic away from Ivy, he asked, “Are you going home to Avani today?”

“If you don’t need me,” he said, pretending to be nonchalant about it but clearly champing at the bit to get back to his sultry new mate.

“She needs you more than I do.” He decided not to ask if the couple had been successful in their attempt to make a baby. It was probably too soon to know one way or the other. If their first try hadn’t been successful, it was likely to be a sore topic, especially considering how much Griff obviously loved her. After hearing Stig tell the story of Avani saving and protecting a wounded Griffin, it was clear she loved his cousin just as much.

“Then I’ll be leaving soon,” Griff decided. “I’ll, uh, make sure to check in on your house.”

Mad’s lips settled into an annoyed line. From the description of the battle that had taken place at his home, he supposed he was lucky there were still walls standing. The gas explosion his brothers had faked to cover up the skirmish was going to be a pain in the ass to deal with once he returned.

Griffin wanted to change the subject. He turned his attention to Niko and Ivy. “There’s quite a resemblance between them.”

“They’re blood relations. It’s only natural.”

“She’s remarkably calm about all this. Most people would be in hysterics after what she’s experienced.”

“She’s a survivor,” he remarked proudly.

“She’ll make a good mate, especially for someone in our line of work.”

“We’re not there yet,” Mad said carefully. “She needs time.”

“Not too much,” Ignatius interjected as he came to stand next to them. “The longer you two avoid sealing the deal, the more the risk increases. To her, to you, and to all of us.”

Mad frowned. “How’s that? We got her away from the Seer and the Knights—”

“And her mind is still an open book,” Ignatius replied. “They know her identity now. She’ll never be safe as long as she’s on their radar. They’ll come after her until they capture or kill her. Until she’s one of us, completely one of us, she’s vulnerable. She must be made wholly dragon—and soon.”

Pivoting to face their one-eyed leader, Mad lowered his voice so Ivy wouldn’t overhear as she continued her discussion with Niko. “She’s not ready. She’s twenty-one years old. She’s got the rest of her life ahead of her. We’ve already flirted with danger, but I’m not going to mate her and start a process that can’t be stopped. You saw what happened to Cora when the dragon blood was awakened within her.”

“This is her destiny,” Ignatius argued matter-of-factly. “This was always her path, Madoc.”

“
She
chooses her path, Ignatius. She isn’t a pawn to be pushed around your chessboard.”

“She’s alive because of us. She owes her life to the Brotherhood. If she’s useful in the fight, she must be persuaded to do her duty.” Ignatius stepped into him. That one eye of his had taken on the onyx shade, a warning that the ancient dragon was hovering just beneath the surface. It was a sign that their leader was under an immense amount of stress and unable to control the beast within him. “When the time comes, you must do yours.”

After delivering his parting shot, Ignatius left the room, nothing but tension in his wake. Mad had a mind to go after their leader and ask him what the hell he meant by that, but Griff’s calming hand on his shoulder quelled the urge.

Griff shook his head. “He’s been on edge since the night we were attacked in your home and we discovered you missing. The entire weight of our future rests on his shoulders. It’s a terrible burden to bear.”

“I sympathize with his position, but I won’t allow him to threaten my mate in that way.”

“She’s not your mate until you claim her and bind her to you forever.” Before he could lay out the same issues he had presented to Ignatius, Griff raised his hand. “I know. It’s not ideal—but this isn’t a game, Madoc. She’s in danger. You’re in danger. We’re all in danger as long as that gifted mind of hers is transmitting everything she learns every time she touches one of us.”

“She has to be the one to make that decision.”

“Mad—”

“It’s a risk, I agree, but she’s incredibly strong, Griffin. Think of how long she lasted in that prison without breaking. We’ll get her healthy again, and then we’ll train her. We’ll ask Reynard to teach her all his mind magic tricks. She’s already very good, a natural even, and with Reynard’s help, she’ll be great.”

Griff stared at him for a long moment. “You’re a good man, Mad.”

He sensed his cousin wanted to say more. Griff ended the conversation by making his way to the bed and introducing himself to Ivy. Her eyes widened as she tilted her head back to take in all of Griffin. Considering she called him Beast, he could only imagine what name she would give to his cousin. The man outweighed Mad by fifty pounds and stood half a foot taller than him, easily hitting seven feet. Of all the dragons in the world, Griffin was only outmatched in size by Reynard.

“I would like to stay and get to know you better, but my mate is waiting for me. When you’re feeling better, Avani and I would like to have you over for a weekend. And Mad,” he added glancing back at him, “there aren’t many in our tribe, but they’ll all welcome you when it’s time.”

Her brow furrowed. “What time?”

“When you’ve properly sealed your bond as mates,” Griff explained.

“Oh.” She pushed scrambled eggs around her plate with the tip of her fork. “I see.”

He must have seen the blush creeping along Ivy’s cheeks because Griff turned to Niko. “Loan me a car for the trip home.”

Niko eyed him over the rim of his teacup. “What’s wrong with your wings?”

“Don’t be a jackass. It’s a long flight back to Houston, and it’s daylight. I’d have to wait until dark to return to Avani. Let me have the Aston Martin.”

The Greek dragon took a slow sip of his hot tea. “Try again, James Bond. You can borrow one of the SUVs, but if you break it, you buy it.”

Griff rolled his eyes. “Yes, Father.” He smiled at Ivy. “If you have any trouble keeping my cousin in line, call me. I know a few tricks that you’ll find useful.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Do.” Griff whacked him on the back as he strode toward the door. “Don’t be a stranger.”

“We’ll get back to Houston as soon as possible.”

Griff looked back toward the bed. “Take your time, Mad. You’ve earned the right to a vacation. So has she.”

It was a tempting thought. He remembered his silent promise to take her to a beach so she could worship the sun. Maybe…

“Griffin,” Niko called out before he exited the bedroom, “I hope you receive happy news when you return to Avani. We all do, especially Ignatius. A new dragon child—the first offspring of our Brotherhood—would be a blessing deserving of celebration.”

Griffin’s expression displayed his deep love for the woman who had brazenly propositioned him only a few weeks earlier. “Thank you, Niko. If it’s good news, I won’t be able to contain myself. You’ll know before sunset, I’m sure.”

Alone with Niko and Ivy, Mad slid back onto the bed and picked up the tray of food that had been brought to him. He was pleased to see that Ivy had eaten almost half of the dishes brought to her. Though the restorative and nutritional fluids Niko had pumped into her via IVs had done their part, she needed to take in real food.

“Ivy told me that you explained the situation with her biological parents and all that happened before and shortly after their deaths.” Niko ran his finger along the rim of his cup. “Ignatius and I looked into the house fire that claimed your adoptive parents, but we never found evidence that pointed to anything other than a tragic accident.”

She relaxed with apparent relief. “After I was taken in Mexico and Mad found me, I started to wonder if maybe the Knights hadn’t had something to do with their deaths.”

“It was something I feared as well,” Niko confessed. “We always knew there was a risk they would realize you hadn’t been killed that day or that one of the Knights might stumble upon you by accident. When you were adopted by Susie and Miguel, I wove a very intricate and powerful protective spell around the three of you. After their deaths, I worried the magic would disintegrate but it appeared to hold so we chose to hang back and give you space.”

“Because you didn’t want to draw unwanted attention to me,” Ivy rightly guessed.

Niko playfully touched the tip of his nose, using the charades gesture to confirm her suspicion. “Do you have any idea how they might have tracked you down?”

She had just taken a bite of toast smothered with blueberry preserves so she answered by motioning toward her head with the tip of her fork. After a sip of orange juice, she explained, “The dreams changed when I started the fall semester.”

“How?” Niko leaned back in his chair and rested his ankle atop his knee. As always, he was barefoot. He swore his formative years on Greek beaches had spoiled him for shoes of any kind. Whenever he could avoid them, he did.

“Until then, the dreams were always about death, carnage, and battles.” She stabbed a grape and a mandarin orange segment. “Lots of battles,” she added. “Toward the end of the first week of classes, I started to dream about a beautiful young woman and a very handsome man who were in love. They were wearing the types of clothes I would expect in a movie about ancient Rome.”

“Drusilla and Sixtus,” Mad interjected even though Niko didn’t need the confirmation. “She saw the night of their deaths.”

Niko seemed truly interested now. “Really?”

Ivy didn’t seem to want to go into the awful details. Instead, she said, “They weren’t the only couple I dreamed about either. There have been many others.”

“From the past?”

She nodded. “And the present, I think. There was a woman a few years older than me who baked cupcakes and this blond guy with old-school Viking runes on his arms. They felt…newer.”

Mad met Niko’s gaze. “Stig and Cora.”

“Yes.”

Ivy glanced between them. “Wait. Isn’t he one of the dragons who rescued us?”

“He was. Cora is his new mate, and she owned a bakery. If we had been able to speak more openly back at the prison, I would have figured out you were talking about my friends when you described the couples from your dreams.”

Niko set aside his teacup. “Why do you think you began to dream of couples? Why do you think everything changed last fall?”

She tore her last slice of toast into pieces. “I started to feel different after Mom and Dad died. I felt more…aware.”

“Of?”

“Smells, tastes, sounds,” she said. “I told Mad that I had always suspected I was different—”

“Because of the dreams and your ability to push people’s thoughts?” Niko interrupted.

“Yes. I had always been sensitive to my surroundings, but this was totally different. Three weeks after Mom and Dad died, I woke up drenched in sweat. My heart was racing. I couldn’t catch my breath. I could hear bats flapping around and squeaking like they were in my bedroom, but the closest bat colony was all the way across campus at Kyle Field.”

“It was a full moon?”

“Um…yes.” She seemed surprised. “Why? Is that important?”

“You were born under a full moon. Female dragons have reproductive cycles that match the moon phase of their births. It’s the reason why I treated you from full moon to full moon to suppress the supernatural side of you so you could live among the mortal human world without incident.”

“What you’ve described is the way we all started to feel as teenagers.” Mad hoped to set her at ease. He could only imagine how confusing all of this was for her. To go from living a mostly typical life to finding out she was the forbidden offspring of a dragon female and a Knight? It couldn’t be easy for her. “It’s the first shift toward embracing the beast within us.”

Her winged brows arched. “So now I have a beast inside me?”

Thinking of her nickname for him, he bit back the flirtatious reply that burned the tip of his tongue. His mouth slanted with amusement. “Basically.”

She issued a noisy
humph
and took a drink of juice. Niko picked that exact moment to ask an outrageously personal question. “Do you menstruate regularly?”

Ivy choked and sputtered the brightly colored liquid into a napkin. “Did you really just ask me that?”

Niko shrugged. “It’s a biological function. There’s nothing to be embarrassed about, and this is something you would discuss with a doctor.”