Fatal Desire (28 page)

* * * *

Caleb worried his brow. Things had been much too quiet in his head, Lileta had kept herself blocked from him, and that could only mean she was up to something. He took a blow to the stomach and doubled over in pain.

“If you don’t get your mind off that damn mate of yours, Soreth is going to kill you,” Jax spat out. “Fuck, you just let me kick you right in the gut.”

Caleb stood and stretched out the pain. His friend was right, he’d been otherwise occupied, and that could be the edge that Soreth needed to take him down. If that happened, Diego, Jax and Darius were sworn to take Lileta and Leria to the guardians where Aidyn would protect them. Still, the thought of losing and leaving his mate alone sat like a cold chunk of ice in his gut. He didn’t like it. Not one bit.

“You’re right, I know.” He looked over at his brother, Diego. “She is up to something, I can feel it.”

Diego pushed himself off the wall he’d been leaning on. “You want me to go check on her?”

He shook his head. “No. Lucan is helping her control her powers. I’m sure she is simply busy training.” He forced himself to swallow down the lump that had formed in his throat. Leaving his mate with another male had taken every ounce of self-control he had, and when it came to her, he didn’t have much. He trusted his mate, and he’d known the dark warrior for centuries. Lucan was a good man and loyal to his king and brethren. Still, self-doubt was trying to gain entry and convince him that the gods had made a mistake. Soon, they would realize and take Lileta from him just as they had taken his brother Talon, while he watched, helpless to save him.

Someone shook him. Diego came into view.

“What the fuck is going on with you?” Diego held Caleb’s arms in a death grip. He looked to Jax and Darius. “Leave us.” The two dragons bowed their heads and vanished. “Their gone, now speak!”

Caleb pulled from his brother’s grip. “You presume much, little brother,” Caleb growled.

Diego fisted his hands. “Don’t pull the Draki Overlord bullshit on me. If you want me to kiss your fucking ass then you better start acting the role of leader.”

“I should break your neck for that and teach you proper manners.” Even being brothers, Caleb was taken aback by the lack of respect Diego showed him. It was not to be tolerated. As a Draki leader, weakness would get him killed so even his family must show the respect due his station.

Diego flew at him, shoving him into the concrete wall of the abandoned building they currently occupied. Air escaped his lungs in a whoosh, and then rage blanketed his mind, blinding him. He grabbed the younger Draki by the throat, wound back his right arm and threw a punch square in the nose. Blood splattered his bare chest. The scent caused his dragon to claw to the surface. He drew back again, this time landing the punch to his brother’s gut, sending him flying across the room.

Caleb stalked toward the heap on the floor, grabbed Diego’s shirt and pulled him to his feet. “Fight back!”

“No!” Diego stood with his hands limp at his side.

“Are you a fucking idiot?” He shook him. “Why would you let me beat the shit out of you?” Caleb was wound so tight every muscle felt as if it would snap.

“If it gives you the release you need to forgive yourself for Talon’s death…then I’m willing to take a beating.”

Caleb released his brother and stumbled backward. “What the hell am I doing?”

Diego raised a brow. “I believe you were giving me a royal ass kicking.” He took slow steps until he stood in front of Caleb. “If you don’t put Talon to rest, you’re going to lose everything. He would never have wanted that.” He placed a hand on Caleb’s shoulder. “Mother and father would not have wanted that.”

Caleb dropped his gaze to the floor. “I was helpless to save him. I watched as Drayos shoved the knife into his heart and twisted.” He raised his head and looked Diego straight in the eyes. “I watched the fire burn out of his eyes, and it has haunted me ever since. I failed in protecting my own.”

Diego squeezed his shoulder. “Then honor his memory by protecting the woman you love. Honor him by keeping the child safe and above all…” Diego knelt to one knee. Jax appeared to his left and Darius on the right, both kneeling. The room filled with hundreds of Draki—men, women and children all kneeling before him. “Above all, brother, honor him by leading your people. He would be proud of you.” Diego raised his right arm high over his head and fisted his hand. “Who here among you swears loyalty to Caleb, son of Andreas and Jonet, brother of Talon?” he shouted.

“I do!” Roared a chorus of voices, hands fisted in the air.

“My liege, your people have spoken. We’ll take care of Soreth.” Diego winked.

Caleb was stunned. Warm arms encircled his waist. “Look at them, Caleb. I knew you were destined for greatness. Your people love you,” Lileta whispered in his ear.

He pulled the raven-haired beauty to his side. “I love you.” He then pulled Leria to his other side. “Leria, I’d be honored to have you as my daughter.” He glanced at his mate. “We’d both be honored.”

The girl smiled. “I’d like that.”

Chapter Twenty-Seven

“So you don’t have to fight Soreth?” Lileta asked, holding her breath, afraid to believe it might actually be so easy.

“No. The people have backed me, and they will strip him of his power then banish him.” Caleb reached out and caressed her cheek. His soft touch sent a tingle down her spine. She wished they were alone right then so she could have her way with him. However, they were in the midst of preparations for Leria’s ceremony. Soon, she would be Caleb’s and her official daughter in the eyes of the Draki. Unfortunately, this happy occasion was to be followed by a somber one. Odage’s funeral.

Caleb and she had discussed at length if they should wait until after the ceremony to tell her or prepare her now. It was decided they would hide nothing from her so had smoothed the way as best they could. Soon, they would be leaving for Vandeldor, heading to the Draki’s homeland in the Vutha mountains. Lileta was anxious to see it; she’d never been deep in the sanctum of the dragon before.

“Are you ladies ready?” Caleb asked.

“Yes, Leria should be down any moment.” Lileta smoothed a hand down the black dress she wore. It had been difficult to decide what to wear on a day such as this, but Caleb had assured her the dress was perfect. She’d chosen a simple, straight gown made of black silk with a modest cut bust and thin straps. Caleb had given her a teardrop emerald that now adorned her neck.

“Before we leave, I have one other thing to give you.” Caleb reached into his trouser pocket and produced a black velvet box. “My father had this ring made for my mother.” He opened the box.

Her breath caught in her chest as she brought her hand to her lips.

Caleb pulled the gem from its secure cushion in the box, grabbed her left hand, and slipped the ring on her third finger. “I would be honored if you would wear this as a symbol of my love. Perhaps one day passing it to our daughter.”

Tears formed, but she held them at bay. “It will never leave my finger.” She glanced down at it. “It’s beautiful. Thank you for allowing me to wear something that belonged to her. I will treasure it always.” She couldn’t help but stare at its blinding beauty. A three-carat square-cut emerald sat between two smaller trillion-cut diamonds, all mounted in white gold. She threw her arms around his neck, pulled him close, and pressed her lips against his. Their tongues slid together, and her core heated. Damn, they needed to get this day over so she could seduce her mate.

“I’m ready.”

They broke their kiss and turned to admire the young girl who walked into the room. Leria wore a gold dress that matched her dragon. A single, round, red ruby had been placed in the middle of her forehead to signify her blood heritage belonged to the house of
Dastudr
. Odage’s house of Strength. On her right upper arm, she wore a cuff of white gold and emeralds. A gift from Caleb to proclaim her loyalty to the house of
Vers.
Caleb’s house of Power.

Lileta swept across the room and pulled the girl into a hug, careful not to mess up her coiffed locks. “You are beautiful.”

“We should leave now,” Caleb stated, pointing to the open portal. Lileta took the girl’s hand in her right and Caleb’s in her left, and together they stepped through the millions of diminutive white lights.

* * * *

Seth blended into the mass of people walking the Chicago streets. His senses overloaded from all the fumes, he wanted to choke.
How humans choose to live like this, I’ll never understand.
He’d grown tired of waiting for assistance from the dragons in locating the female. They had their own issues to deal with and would come when they were able. His brethren were spread thin. The demons had gotten smart in their assault on the human realm. They’d abandoned their tirade on the cities and started overtaking the smaller communities. Realizing that while there were fewer souls to consume, it was easier and faster to start small and work their way up. The guardians feared that soon they’d begin to procreate just as Odage had tried to do. If Lowan couldn’t escape his hell then he’d simply create one above him and let his minions run amok. Eventually, the Dark Lord would find a way out.

Seth shivered, not against the cold but rather the thought of what was yet to come. He worried that even with the help of their allies; they were fighting a losing battle. Already, Aidyn had hinted that his guardians should be on the lookout for superior humans. Perhaps military special ops who knew how to fight and survive. The only thing his king had left unsaid was when the time arrived, would they reveal themselves to these humans or would Aidyn convert them? The guardian king was the only among them who could perform this task on a mortal that wasn’t a mate. Seth was of the opinion Aidyn should turn the humans now, before the damn curse took them all.

He backtracked to the last location he’d seen her. The place where they fought the demons. Darkness approached, and as much as he hated to do it, he selected a young handsome male from which to feed. He much preferred to take his nourishment from a warm, curvy female but figured the men in the area would be more likely to know the pretty redhead he sought.

He sank his fangs deep and took several pulls of the coppery liquid, hoping this time he’d get lucky. Already, he’d tapped at least half a dozen men, seeking information. He was playing Russian roulette, waiting for the one that would send him over the edge into insanity. Unable to purge their memories because of the curse, he sometimes had to fight to keep his head above water. Many days, though, he drowned in the sea of voices.

What’s this?
An image drifted through his mind.

It was her.

The tall, beautiful redhead was walking into a building. The neon sign above flashed Fire & Ice, Seth recognized its location. He released the human and sent him on his way. He flashed to the outskirts of the city and stood across the street, watching the patrons enter the men’s club called Fire & Ice. The woman he sought, her name was Kaitlyn and she owned this club. Images of her laid out flat on a dirty mattress, wrists bound, and a gag in her mouth flashed through his mind.

He shook them free.

The man he’d just sent on his merry way knew everything about this woman. Her name, where she lived. Where she shopped even. He was obsessed with Kaitlyn and had asked her out, but she’d rebuffed him. His ego was bruised so he was planning to kidnap her and keep her locked away as his little toy.

Seth rubbed his fists over his eyes. The images hurt his head, but they also caused his cock to harden.
You’re a sick fuck!
Was he talking to himself or the man whose memories he stole? He could no longer discern where he began and they left off. He pulled at his hair, hoping pain would bring him back from the threshold.

He inhaled.
Strawberries.
He dropped his hands to his side and focused on the figure across the street. She turned to look his direction. His fangs descended, and he emitted a growl. His stride carried him across the pavement with visions of naked flesh dancing in his head.

* * * *

Lileta gasped when they stepped through the portal into the dragon’s caverns. She blinked, almost blinded by the colorful display. Stalactites hung like enormous waterfalls from the cave ceiling. Traces of vibrant blue, purple, orange, and yellow coated the minerals and lit up the room like millions of tiny colored bulbs. She took a step forward and felt something warm on her face. She tipped her head back and looked up.

“Oh my gods!”

The cavern rose hundreds of feet into the air. Carved into the ancient mountain were hundreds—no thousands—of smaller caves. They dotted the walls as far up as she could see, several had dragons perched at the entrance looking down at them. It was then she noticed the opening at the very top, it explained where the sun was coming from that kissed her face. Dragons of all sizes and colors flew in and out of the gaping hole.

“Pretty amazing, isn’t it?” Caleb asked.

“It’s beyond words. I never imagined.” Lileta pointed. “Are those their homes?”

Caleb chuckled. “No. Those are the dragon’s lairs.” He bent closer to her ear. “Where we keep our riches.”

Her chin dropped. “Oh.”

“We need to hurry. The ceremony will be performed in a private chamber. Only the leaders and their families will bear witness.”

Caleb led the two girls down a smooth set of steps, through a maze of rock formations and into another chamber. This one much smaller than the last with torches hanging from the wall and casting an eerie glow on the room. At the far end, a fire burned in the large hearth that had been carved into the rock. The flames blazed with the same magical colors she’d seen coming into the cavern.

On either side stood a stone dragon. One white, the other black, their tails curled along the edge of the fireplace then across the top, forming a most unusual mantel. Diego stood in front of it, dressed in black slacks and a gray button-up shirt. He gave her a wink, and she flashed him a smile. She owed her new brother-in-law a great deal. Not only had he rescued her while Caleb battled Odage, he’d rescued her mate more than once.