Always (Dragon Wars, #3) (7 page)

Devon walked next to him. “Better you than me, brother. By all means, come home and lead. I think I’d make a great Beta wolf. Bring the human with you. We’ll figure it out.”

Tatyana
. Her name was a festering open wound. He had to see her again or he might lose his mind.
Fuck.
He was in so much trouble.

****

I
t took the two hours Auggie promised to reach where his twin claimed the humans hid. Robbie took a deep breath. He didn’t smell anything other than the cool breeze and distant cedar trees. Goosebumps broke out on his arms and suddenly he wanted to move and fast.

Wherever they were, it felt...wrong. “Something is wrong with me.”

Next to him, Dougal nodded. “I’m not the only guy here who feels the need to flee?”

“No. And neither of us are cowards.”

“Can I suggest something?” Dougal’s mate Caitlyn had remained quiet most of the trip. She had wanted to help, volunteered when he explained his plan. Yet the way her eyes darted around and the general slope of her shoulders told him she was uncomfortable. He knew from the file command kept on her, she couldn’t heal from shifting. They had to make sure she was kept safe, even beyond the amount they would for any female.

“Sure.”

“We are so attuned to smells. Particularly when we don’t realize it. In the lab, we used to find certain chemicals would make us all start behaving really strangely without us knowing why. I think the same thing’s happened here. We’re meant to run away. We’re being chemically made to, which is one of the reasons we’ve not found them all these years.”

“Can you all seriously not smell the humans in there?” Auggie shook his head. “A whole crew of them.”

Robbie closed his eyes. He wished he had Auggie’s abilities. Hell, he’d love to smell Tatyana right then.
The roses
.

Lost in his desire to smell her, he was startled at the shout next to him. Homer jumped to attention. “Dragons. Damn it. Six of them.”

Robbie opened his lids. “Great. I got bested last time. It’ll feel good to take these suckers out.”

His sister-in-law turned to him. “I can manage four with dragon speak. I can send them away. Call me a coward, but I can’t tell them to kill themselves.”

“It’s not in your nature.” Dougal shook his head. “Stand back, my love. Robbie wouldn’t want you to do anything. Trust me. You’re here. Your presence here will be as far as you’re getting involved in fighting the dragons.”

The loud cannon sounded. He knew what it meant then. Tatyana was taking out the dragons and while everyone around him fell to the ground he refused to give in to the blackness. No, he would stay awake. Robbie dropped to his knees in time to see a dragon hurl straight from the sky with a crash onto the ground.

The dragon falling was so fucking cool. He had to acquire the cannon.

“Robert?” Tatyana’s voice rolled over him as a soothing boon. “How are you awake? And why are you here?”

“Never underestimate me, sweetheart. Turns out I’m an alpha. We have to talk.”

And by all that was true in the universe, he wanted her. Bad.

****

T
aty couldn’t believe she sat at the table in the kitchen across from Robert Owens. He was there, alive, and fully aware of who she was and where he found himself. “How can you know what’s going on?”

“I’m remarkable.” His face stayed impassive yet his tone indicated he found her question ridiculous. “Sweetheart, if you know anything about wolves at all, and you should consider the measures you’ve taken to watch us, you’d know how badly we react to drugs.”

“I know your people are addicted to a number of them right now, including the secretions from the dragon eggs. With Caitlyn’s formula working to burn the eggs, the supply is getting harder and the werewolves who crave the substance are going to become desperate. They will need to detox or die.”

“Yes, a real gift from the dragons.” He drummed his fingers on the table. “I guess your memory wipers only work once. Or maybe not even then. Auggie’s been fully aware of you for a year.”

“Damn.” His not reacting to the drugs was new information she really needed. If only she had time to figure out why. What was it about werewolf physiology, which made the amnesia less effective? She chewed on her lip.

“Tatyana.” The way he enunciated her name grabbed her focus. He had one eyebrow raised and an amused expression pulling on his lower lip. Her cheeks warmed under his attention and she decided not to fight the feeling. She had four days left with him. After she left...she wanted no regrets.

“Yes?”

“Come here.” He extended his hand. Grasping his offered palm, she let him pull her forward. “I don’t lie, well, except to Command, my family, and anything to do with the dragons. You watched me. You must know what I say is true. I’m reminding you how you know me because I want you not to question what I’m about to say.”

“You seem to lie, frankly, whenever it suits you.”

He leaned back in his chair then drew her against him. His body heat warmed her cold soul. She had really thought he was dead. The world had darkened. His presence meant there was light again.

“Okay, I’m pragmatic. I won’t lie to you. Of course, I suppose I could be lying.” He tweaked her chin. “Do you think I am?”

She stared at his face. Taty had watched him for so long. When she was a teenager, she’d first noticed the dimple in his chin. So many of her dirty fantasies began with his dimple.

“When you lie, your eyes don’t.” Since he touched her, she accepted his tacit permission to respond in kind. “Right now, you’re telling the truth.”

“Couple of things then. Number one, if you use your cannon on me again in any situation other than a near-death scenario, I’m going to paddle your behind.”

She opened her mouth to rebuke his declaration. He was going to spank her? She should be objecting, yelling, pulling out of his embrace. Yet, she didn’t. Robert wanted to
paddle her behind
? Her panties got wet. Wow—his threat turned her on.

Her cousin and his secret orgy societies aside, humans weren’t usually encouraged to be sexual, per se. Sure there was procreation and most women she knew liked to find pleasure on occasion. Fraternization had never been encouraged on the scientific teams. Relationships and emotional involvement threatened productivity and research.

Except he smelled so good and felt so warm. She had been so cold.

“The only times I’ve blasted you with the cannon have been near-death.”

“Not true.” He breathed in sharply. “Sure, twice I needed you. The first time I can’t remember, the second I vividly recall. Since then, I’ve been blasted when I kissed you and when I was perfectly capable of taking care of the dragons.”

“I may have overreacted the second time. The first time wasn’t me. But with the dragons earlier, I was so excited to see you. I thought you were dead. I couldn’t find you on the cameras.”

He quirked his lip again and her womb clenched. He was so...hot. Did he know what he did to her? Probably. Robert was a werewolf, and he could likely smell her desire. “I watched where you had placed them from your screens. On my way to get my family, I started seeing if I could spot them. Adapting is something I do well. It’s why they picked me for my job. I learned to avoid and destroy them. I can stealth when needed. That being said, I’m honored you looked for me.”

“Well, I...”

She let her words drift. How was she to explain her obsession with him? Coupled with her almost constant crippling exhaustion, he was all she could think about from the moment she opened her eyes in the morning until she went to bed at night.

“What do you know about our mating practices?” His voice held a growl in it and every nerve in her body stood at alert.

“I know you smell each other and you seem to simply...know.” She exhaled. Some bitch wolf would receive his affection for the rest of his life. She’d be the luckiest person on the planet. “Then I guess you do what comes naturally, so to speak.”

“Humans. What is your take on sex?” He cocked his head to the side when he asked.

“Ah...”

Just then her cousin burst through the door. Robert darted to his feet, and set her behind him in an action so smooth, she barely processed the action before she found herself facing his back. It took her a minute to realize he blocked her from what he perceived as a threat.

Gordon hadn’t uttered a word. A non-drugged Robert at full height, which made him at least six inches taller than her cousin, would be an intimidating presence. Easing around, she took a stance at Robert’s side.

“You two didn’t meet last time. Robert Owens, this is Gordon Knox, my cousin. Gordon, meet Robert Owens.”

Her cousin held out his hand and Robert stared at the outstretched greeting. When nothing happened, she spoke again.

“Robert, in our culture, we shake hands in greeting. All kinds of things.” She walked to Gordon. “He’s saying nice to meet you. We can’t scent you as you can us, which I understand is rather disgusting when it comes to us.”

Keeping his attention on Gordon’s outstretched hand, Robert said, “Were you under the impression moments ago you smelled bad to me?”

“Um. No.” She must be red-cheeked because embarrassment coursed through her blood.

“You smell of roses. Your family member here smells clean. I think whatever humans had objectionable scents simply needed to bathe more.” He nodded at the hand. “This is something you do, Tatyana? Shake hands?”

“Ah, yes, when need be.”

Robert shook his head. “No more.”

“What?”

“It is a foolish practice.” He looked at Gordon. “You’ll excuse me, cousin.” In a move she’d only seen him perform during training, he grabbed Gordon’s arm and twisted as he pulled him close and pushed him onto the floor. “The action leaves you way too exposed.”

Gordon yelped and Robert picked him up by the shoulders and set him right on his feet again. “I didn’t do any lasting damage to you. Maybe you’ll find some ice for your elbow, if you need it.”

Her cousin stumbled backwards and then cleared his throat. “I think part of the point of the gesture is to say to the other person, I trust you not to hurt me.”

“I’ve had seventeen years of war. A man who was once a boy I knew in my youth betrayed all his people to the dragons. You’ll excuse me if I have no faith in anyone’s intentions.”

Gordon nodded slowly. “I wanted to let you know your people are stirring. We’re not sure what to do. None of you should be here, technically. We’re leaving in four days. I don’t see the harm and still, there is a crew of werewolves here. I won’t lie. I’m intimidated.”

Robert made a face, pursing his lips as if something smelled. “Admitting cowardice never eliminates the threat, only lets the enemy know how easily you can be taken. And my people will not harm you. Although they may wake disoriented.”

“Should we go there?”

“No.” Robert shook his head. “Auggie will know to handle them. Perhaps after they have woken, you could ask Auggie to start looking at your technology.”

Gordon nodded. She watched the two men speaking and couldn’t believe the ease with which Robert gave orders and Gordon took them. Her cousin gave her problems all the time and she was technically in charge. Why did he obey Robert said so easily?

“Taty, we cannot let your sister know we’re helping the wolves. She can absolutely never find out we’re turning over expensive technology.”

She held up her hands. “It’s all junk. Hardly worth the gas in the shuttle to bring it to space.”

Robert cut in. “Why does your sister have a say?”

“She’s the leader of all humanity.” Gordon shook his head. “Unfortunately. Taty’s big sister is a big problem.”

The gorgeous werewolf who made her wet with only the sound of his voice turned his gaze once again to her. “We will discuss your family. First, I must know. Shuttle?”

Gordon pointed upwards catching his attention. “Space. We’re leaving the planet in four days.”

Silence descended for a full minute before Robert spoke again. When he finally commented, it was directly to Gordon. “Leave us.”

Her cousin nodded but stopped short before he left. “Taty, have you ever read the studies of Drs. Lovelong and Longhair?”

She shook her head. Why was Gordon bringing up science? She could barely think clearly. “I always heard it was junk.”

“Check it out.” Gordon smiled. “Nice to meet you, Robert. Some handshake you’ve got there.”

Her cousin walked, rather quickly, from the room shutting the door behind him. Finally, Robert spoke. “Taty?”

“Yes?”

He growled. “No, I mean why does he call you Taty?”

“It’s my name.” Was something going wrong with his memory?

“Taty.” He said her name as if it tasted bad. “Your name is Tatyana. Taty is what you call a small child. You are a beautiful, grown woman. Tatyana is your name. They’re going to use the full version.”

“You’re bossy today.” She put her hands on her hips.

“Tatyana, you have no idea.”

“Why do you care what anyone calls me?” She could become lost in the depths of his eyes if she wasn’t more careful. Tatyana had to find something to do. Maybe she’d inventory the powdered food in the kitchen, except she couldn’t move.  “Everyone calls you Robbie. That’s arguably the nickname of a young guy. Maybe everyone should call you Robert.”

“No.” He took her hand and kissed her knuckles. Tatyana’s heart rate kicked into gear. She felt as if she was running instead of standing still. “Only you call me Robert. I enjoy how the air moves when you use my full name.”

“Robert.” She swallowed. “What’s going on?”

“You’re mine, Tatyana. Even if you take off in four days on your shuttle, you’ll always belong to me. The sooner you come to terms with being mine, the quicker I can make you come again and again.”

The world tilted sideways.

R
obbie watched his mate from across the room. Her non-werewolf status meant she likely had no idea he was nearby let alone he stared at her. He’d told her he was going to make her come and she darted from the room like a startled rabbit. It had been everything he could do not to chase her. Well, technically he had followed. She simply didn’t know it.