Tempting the Dragon (16 page)

Jade reached for Rance. He took her hand and captured it in between his. “What happened? What caused your numbers to shrink?”

“First we were struck by an illness. It killed off many. Those who didn’t die were left sterile. Since no new babies were born...” Lifting one slender shoulder in a shrug, Libby sighed. “Some of us—myself, Nessie and a few others—managed to survive. We stayed in our homes near the lakes, aware the water was the one place we could retreat where the illness couldn’t follow.”

Hearing the starkness of the pain in Libby’s gentle voice made Rance’s throat ache.

“We will always have our history.” Libby continued, “Centuries ago, we took to the skies in numbers. Humans both feared us and revered us. If you ever get a chance to see the books your mother has, you’ll marvel at the medieval artwork.”

“I imagine it was quite a beautiful sight. Were they your books?” Jade asked.

“Yes. I always entrust them to the Guardian. Amber was supposed to pass them down to you.”

“But she didn’t.” Now Jade turned to study Rance. “What about you? Do you have something to add to her story? You said there are more of your kind.”

He nodded. “There are. But only a few. And that illness still shows up at will and without warning. My wife died from it. And my stepdaughter is battling it now.”

“How many are left? You say a few. What does that mean? Ten? Twenty? A hundred?”

“I wish I had better news.” Swallowing hard, he met her gaze. “There are four females left that we know of. The illness has rendered our males sterile...” Now he quickly glanced at Jade. “Or so our doctors believe. No new children have been born in years. Until recently. Three of the four remaining Drakkor women are with child. We hope for successful births.”

“Four?” Incredulous, Libby repeated the number. “Are you certain there aren’t more females tucked away in hiding somewhere, like me?”

“I would love it if that were the case.”

“What about halflings?” Jade asked. “You say Eve is one. Are there many Drakkor halflings out there? Maybe their constitution is better able to fight off this plague?”

“I don’t know.” Though Rance hated to admit it, he’d been kind of focused on his own, immediate reality until Violet became ill. “Eve was doing better, getting better. But then, according to Jim, something happened and she took a turn for the worse.”

“And you don’t know if Jim was telling the truth,” Jade finished.

“One last question, though I fear I already know the answer.” Libby glanced from Rance to Jade and then back again. “After all these years, no one has managed to find a cure for that plague? With all the brilliant scientists and doctors this world has to offer, and still nothing has been done?”

Grimly, he nodded. “It’s like cancer in humans, though far more deadly. They haven’t found a cure for that, either.”

One silver tear rolled down Libby’s cheek. She brushed it away. “I feared as much. Now, let me see what I can do about locating your little girl.” She pushed to her feet. “Jade, will you help me get ready?”

“Of course.” Pulling her hand from his, Jade stood also. “She has to go into a trance. It takes a lot out of her.”

Heart rate increasing, he followed the two women inside. In a few minutes, he might finally learn where Jim and Eve had gone, and if his stepdaughter was all right.

* * *

Though happy for Libby now that she was no longer so utterly, totally alone, something about the dark circles under her eyes and the fine lines at the edge of her mouth worried Jade. Especially with all this talk of a fatal illness destroying the females of her kind.

Family had always been everything to Jade. She considered Libby part of her family. She’d always known she could count on any of the Burnetts, no matter what. Except now Jade felt betrayed by her own mother. Amber had known. All along. She’d mentioned reading the books when she’d asked Jade to get help for Di. And yet she hadn’t bothered to fill Jade in. She’d let Jade be Libby’s Guardian without having full knowledge of all the risks.

Inside the living room, Libby took her usual place on the overstuffed chair next to the fireplace. She waved toward the couch. “You two make yourself comfortable,” she said, smiling. “Jade knows this can take me a minute or two.”

Restless, Rance began to pace. Striding the length of the room in front of the wall of full-length windows, he clearly didn’t see the look Libby gave him.

Jade jumped back up and took his arm. “Come on, let’s sit.”

He grimaced. “I need a minute.”

“Then let’s go back outside. Libby can’t relax if she’s surrounded by negative energy.”

His bright gray eyes darkened. “I’m worried. Libby’s my last hope of finding Eve.”

“I know.” Instead of squeezing his arm, she slipped her own arm around his waist. She liked touching him, loved the solid muscular feel of his body and the way his height made her feel protected.

He was the first man she’d ever felt this way about. Oh, she’d once thought she loved her fiancé, Ross. But that emotion had been shallow compared to the way she felt about Rance. She wanted to take every minute with him she could, hold it close to her heart and savor it. Because once he found out where Eve had been taken, she’d likely never see him again.

To her surprise, he put his arm around her, too. They stood side by side, with the dazzling lake spread out below them, framed by the brightly colored leafy display.

This. Jade knew this moment would be one of those memories she’d take out and keep close once he’d gone.

Gone.

“Do you think she’s ready yet?” Rance asked, making her jump.

She smiled at his questioning look. “Sorry, I was deep in thought. Let’s go inside and see. If she is in a trance, don’t speak to her or make noise. If you do, you run the risk of pulling her out of the trance.”

“I understand.”

Quietly they entered the house. One glance at Libby sitting motionless in her favorite chair and Jade knew she’d gone into a trance.

Rance touched her shoulder. She nodded, indicating they should take seats on the couch. She’d never left Libby alone to come out of a trance and she wouldn’t now.

They sat down, knees touching. For a brief second, Jade considered giving in to impulse and scooting over so that their entire bodies were touching.

Libby made a sound, which chased that notion right out of Jade’s head. Sounds meant the trance would soon be ending. Judging from the way Rance had stiffened, he’d figured this out.

The main question—had Libby located Eve and her father?

Jade held her breath as Libby began to stir. When she opened her eyes, her unfocused gaze drifted around the room, finally settling on Rance.

“I know where Jim has taken his daughter,” she said immediately, her voice weak, but certain. “He believes he’s doing this for her protection. Someone...” Her voice cracked before she took a deep breath and steadied herself. “Prince Cai has learned what she is. He has convinced Jim to travel with her to the land of the Fae.”

Chapter 16

I
ncredulous, Jade swallowed. Whatever she’d been expecting to hear, it hadn’t been this. Judging from the stunned look on Rance’s face, he felt the same way.

“How?” he asked, his voice hard and brittle. “How in the hell would a Fae prince learn about my daughter?”

Libby glanced at him before meeting Jade’s eyes. “I’m afraid when the two of you went to Fae, he grew curious when Jade was able to resist his charms. He began to do research into you. When he learned you had a young daughter, he saw a weak spot.”

Rance shook his head. “That doesn’t make any sense. Why would he take Eve?”

“Because she’s half-Drakkor. He has been searching for one for a long time. He plans to heal her and keep her there until he can use her.”

Glowering, Rance’s thunderous expression made a chill snake down Jade’s back. “Use her how?”

“That I couldn’t see.” Libby spread her hands. “I’m sorry. But she’s not in danger. Cai won’t allow any harm to happen to her. Jim finds this reassuring. He’s hoping Fae magic will cure her.”

“But Jim’s human. He doesn’t know about the Fae, or Drakkor, or any shape-shifter, for that matter. He has no idea what Eve is.”

“Cai has enchanted him with Fae magic. Right now, Jim isn’t asking too many questions. When Cai said he could heal Eve, Jim believed him.”

Rance made a strangled sound.

“Cai considers her valuable,” Libby continued. “Again, he won’t hurt her.”

While this should have made Rance feel slightly better, he continued to stand frozen, making Jade wonder if Libby’s words even registered.

“Rance, she’s all right.” Jade tried to comfort him. “Maybe Breena will know what’s going on. Remember, she said something about needing your help, too,” Jade pointed out. “In the battle against her brother, Cai.”

Rance had gone gray. She slipped her arm around his waist and held on, because she was afraid he might shatter.

When he looked down at her, a muscle working in his jaw, something twisted in her chest at the tormented look on his face. “We’ve got to go back to Fae,” he said. “Now.”

“I agree.” Jade eyed Libby. She’d remained seated, and had curled her legs under her. Jade could tell she tried to hold her usual exhaustion at bay. “Will you be okay here without me?”

“Of course,” Libby answered immediately. “But please, don’t do anything foolish. You don’t need to go rushing in there without a plan. Eve is not in danger. And Cai can be a formidable enemy.”

“So we’ve heard. We’ve met Breena, his sister. Apparently, he’s trying to steal the throne from her.”

“I don’t care about political intrigue,” Rance growled. “I just want to make sure Eve is safe.”

“She is.” The certainty in Libby’s voice appeared to calm him somewhat. “As a matter of fact, between Fae magic and her halfling genes, she’s made significant progress toward vanquishing her illness.” Sadness flitted across her expressive face. “If only that were all we needed to eradicate that illness once and for all.”

“Maybe it is,” Jade speculated, hiding her growing excitement. “Either way, it certainly bears investigating.”

“Halflings have different immune systems, you know that.” Rance sounded tired. “Though in the past, both Drakkor and halflings weren’t spared.” He eyed Jade. “Let’s see if we can catch Breena while she’s still here.”

“I’ll call my mother and see if Breena’s at the hospital.” Jade dug out her cell. Luckily, Amber answered almost immediately, relaying the news that Breena had left.

“We’re going to have to go back to Fae,” Rance said when she’d told him.

“Yes.” Jade knelt down and dropped a kiss on Libby’s cheek. “Are you sure you’ll be all right? Do you want me to send Amber by to check on you?”

“No.” Smiling, Libby waved away her concern. “I only need a little rest and I’ll be just like normal. I let you pamper me because I enjoy it.” The mischief in her smile had Jade smiling back.

“Come on.” Rance fairly vibrated with impatience.

“It’s going to be dark soon,” Libby pointed out. “It’d be a lot safer to wait until morning.”

“I’m going now,” Rance growled. “I know you said she’s not in danger, but I can’t rest until I see for my own eyes that she’s safe.”

“You can’t.” The certainty in Libby’s tone stopped him in his tracks. “Believe me. If you don’t want to endanger the child, you’ll wait until the Fae princess summons you. You’re going to need her help. Without it, you won’t stand a chance against Fae magic.”

* * *

After Jade and Rance took off, Libby sagged back in her chair and reached for her lap blanket to cover herself. While she’d spoken truth, she hadn’t told them everything. For all intents and purposes, Prince Cai had taken Jim and Eve prisoner, though they didn’t know it yet. They believed they were honored guests and wouldn’t find out unless they tried to leave. She’d heard Cai discussing Jim with his inner circle. He’d actually voiced the opinion that the human man wasn’t needed any longer. Which meant that unless Jade and Rance reached him soon, Jim’s life was in grave danger.

Plus, she’d sensed some kind of sickness inside the human man. What it might be, she wasn’t sure. But once he’d been rescued, she’d make sure he got to a doctor.

In all of this, Libby couldn’t escape the notion that she’d missed something. Fae magic had, according to Jade, saved Di and her friends as well as their unborn babies.

And Fae magic might have helped Eve recover from what had mostly been a fatal illness.

Was this because she was a halfling, or something else? Was it possible the Fae could cure the devastating plague that had killed off the majority of Drakkor women and made the affected men sterile?

One thing Libby’s long life and her voracious appetite for reading, especially history, had taught her was that the Fae did nothing for free. An old saying—magic always came with a price—certainly appeared to be true.

As excitement built in her, she reminded herself that all of this was only speculation, at least for now. She’d keep her eyes open and see what she could learn.

Who knew, but maybe, just maybe, a Drakkor named Libby who’d spent most of her life an outcast might figure out the solution to save her entire race.

* * *

Once they got in the car, Rance couldn’t contain his frustration. “I really want to go right now,” he said, trying not to clench his teeth.

“I understand.” Jade touched his shoulder. “But Libby sees things. You know that. If she says we need to wait, then we need to wait.”

“For how long?” The words burst from him. “Do you understand what it’s like, knowing Eve and Jim are that pompous prince’s prisoners?”

“I can only imagine. But we won’t do any good bursting in there unprepared. You felt the lure of their magic. Without an ally, without Breena’s help, we don’t stand a chance.”

Because most likely she was right; he finally nodded, hating the feeling of defeat.

They pulled up to Burnett House and parked. “Sit with me?” Jade asked. “You need to relax.”

As if he could. No, what he needed was something much more physical, more distracting. He met her gaze, challenging her to read his desire in his eyes.

Her face colored. “Come on. Let’s go sit on the porch for a while.”

He followed her without commenting. As she settled in her swing and patted the seat next to her, he exhaled.

“Take a deep breath,” she urged.

So he did. As she gently used her foot to send the swing moving, he felt some of the tension drain out of him, though desire still simmered in his blood.

A sense of peace stole over him, making him wonder if this porch swing had some magical properties of its own.

The entire house, in fact, but especially here, on the porch.

Jade’s front porch had begun to feel like home. He’d rarely seen a more beautiful place and sitting on the swing, gazing out at the road and all the vibrant colors of the autumn leaves, brought him a sense of peace he’d never believed he could feel at a time like this.

And with it, a dawning sense of confidence, of certainty. He—they—would rescue Eve. For the first time in forever, maybe, just maybe, things would actually be all right.

With Jade beside him, he felt like he could conquer anything, be anyone, and this worried the hell out of him. The turmoil inside him felt like the opposite of how he believed life should be.

And Jade continued to look at him as if she thought him some kind of hero. After everything, he didn’t really understand why.

He remembered the way her little sisters had warned him not to hurt her. Her mother, too.

Hurting Jade was the last thing he wanted to do.

He tried to figure out a way to warn her, to begin the process of getting her to become adjusted to the idea that he wouldn’t be around much longer. “I’m thinking after I find Eve, if she’s well enough, I’m going to take her with me on my next assignment. I’ll make sure it’s safe.”

She went still, then smiled. “I’m sure she’d love that. But do you think her father would be okay with you taking her gallivanting around the world?”

A bit confused, he shrugged. “Why wouldn’t he? He can come, too, if he wants.”

The instant hurt flashed in her emerald eyes, he knew his mistake. He’d assumed Jade knew how he felt about her. What he wasn’t sure of was if she felt the same way about him. He hoped she’d ask if she could come with him, too. He realized how much he’d truly enjoy showing her the world. Her delight in new experiences would make a road trip exciting in a way it hadn’t been for a long time.

But she didn’t ask. Instead, she simply nodded. “I see. That’s a great idea. I hope she’s well enough to travel.”

“She will be.” He didn’t bother to keep the fierceness from his tone. Magic would make it so.

“Do you, uh...” Now Jade took a sudden interest in her fingernails. “Do you ever plan to come by this way again?”

He thought of his resolve, his intention of maybe trying to nourish the embers that sizzled between them. But he’d promised not to hurt her and he wouldn’t. Making a promise he wasn’t even sure he wanted to keep would be wrong. All he could give her was the truth. The truth as he knew it right at this instant.

“There’s so much to see, so many places in this world I haven’t yet explored,” he told her. “Except for my home base in Houston, I don’t usually make a return trip.”

“You could make a new home base,” she said. Though she kept her face expressionless, he saw from the telltale tremble of her lower lip how much it cost her to say such a thing.

Longing seized him, raw and like a visceral punch in his gut.

“I might have to think about that,” he said, his tone deliberately light.

Her barely perceptible nod tightened his chest. “I understand. You’ll think about it, and then you’ll move on. For you, it’s easier that way, right?”

Not sure how to answer, he swallowed. More than anything, he didn’t want to mess this up. But he couldn’t do this now, not yet, not until he knew his little girl was going to make it.

Now she met his eyes, the storm brewing in hers warning him he might not like her next words. “It’s not always... Sometimes you might consider...”

Though he knew what she was trying to say, he wasn’t sure he could handle her calling him a coward. If indeed that was her intention.

“I like life to be as uncomplicated as possible,” he began.

“Really?” she shot back. “That must be pretty hard to do while keeping a relationship going with a seriously ill five-year-old.”

And she had him there. The truth of what she hadn’t said struck him. When something mattered enough, he went back. He made himself present.

Could he do that for her? Did she even want him to?

Or would one of them end up being hurt? Again, the promise he’d made her sisters—hell, the promise he’d made himself—wouldn’t allow him to give her hope. Any kind, not even the smallest sliver, until all of this was over, and he knew for certain what he would be able to do. He knew what he wanted. Her. He’d do everything he could in his power to get there. But first, he had to take care of Eve.

Still, Jade gave no appearance of backing down. “I’ll be fine,” he said, his voice soft. “So will you.”

“But it doesn’t have to be like that,” she insisted, with that stubborn tilt of her chin he had come to recognize and now found beautiful. “Sometimes the worst thing is to walk away. It takes more courage to stay.”

He knew that. Damn, he knew that. If life had turned out differently, been simpler... But it hadn’t and it wasn’t and he refused to make any promises he couldn’t keep.

“I’m not your former fiancé,” he said. “So please don’t treat me like I am.”

The shock and pain in her eyes made him immediately regret what he’d said. “I’m sorry,” he told her. “I didn’t mean to...the way it came out. I just need you to understand.”

“Understand?” she managed. “Who told you about Ross?” she asked, her quiet voice unemotional.

He sighed. “Can we just forget I said that?”

“No.” Twin spots of color blazed high on her cheeks. “I want to know who told you.”

“They had the best of intentions.”

Before he’d even finished, she shook her head. “Those brats. When?”

“The second time I showed up at your house uninvited.”

One corner of her mouth curled into the beginning of a wry smile. “I wonder why they’d even consider doing such a thing.”

“I think they were warning me.”

“Warning you against what? Me?”

He had to smile at that. “Hurting you. They told me you’d been almost engaged once and something along the lines of if I hurt you I’d be answering to them.”

Now she laughed, the joy in the sound making him, absurdly, want to haul her up against him and kiss her senseless. He contained himself, barely.

There were women, he realized. And then there was Jade. She wasn’t just the most beautiful woman he’d ever met, but one of a kind. Her strong sense of loyalty to her family, her dedication and love for Libby...and he’d seen how her customers—and their pets—clearly adored her.

As he did. Most of the extremely beautiful women he’d met over the course of his career—models, actresses and singers—were superficial, self-absorbed twits. Not Jade. Her beauty ran deeper than her appearance. He’d never met such a kind and sincere woman, which might sound boring, if she didn’t have a body that made him think of sin.