Throne of Oak (Maggie's Grove) (6 page)

When he grabbed hold of her hair and pulled her head to the side she knew what he wanted. She didn’t fight him. Denying him had nearly loosened the beast, and now they both needed to lay their claim to her.

Dragos bit, and her world went white. The sensations from his bite seemed to lead directly to her clit, making the orgasm that much more intense. It was like being fucked and eaten at the same time.

Dragos withdrew his fangs and howled, his hips stilling as he poured himself into her.

Mina collapsed on top of him, totally spent. She was wrung dry. She yawned, and Dragos moved them until she was spooned against him, her ass against his groin. She wasn’t cold—not here. The Throne would protect its Queen.

“Thank you,
sotiei
. I thought you’d never accept me.”

She blinked. “Neither did I.” Now that she’d had him, she couldn’t imagine letting him go. She yawned again, cuddling closer into his warmth.

“Well, I’m glad whatever was holding you back has been resolved.”

She tensed. Why
had
she let Dragos into the Throne? Wasn’t she supposed to keep him out?

“Mina?” He licked where he’d bitten her, sending a jolt of need down her spine, driving away the thought that he shouldn’t be here.

And that was wrong on more levels than one. No one deserved to be with her more than her mate.

She forced herself to relax, but the worry and the fear were still there in the back of her mind. “I’m not sure it has been.” She glanced over her shoulder, aware in the deepest part of her soul that she was about to make a huge mistake, but it was something that needed to be done. She could no longer fight her demons on her own. “Call Selena.”

* * *

“Hmm.”

Dragos cocked a brow at Selena. “How bad is
hmm
?”

Mina was beginning to look worried. He’d called Selena the moment Mina had asked. He’d realized as soon as she tensed up that something was very wrong, and a quick dip into her mind had proved it. Where seconds ago she’d been relaxed and warm in his arms and accepting his embrace, now she was a jumble of confused thoughts and conflicting emotions. Her thoughts had been a pleasant buzz in the back of his mind, but the moment he’d asked why she’d waited to allow him to claim her she’d begun fighting within her own mind.

Her thoughts had veered toward questioning why she’d allowed him into the Throne, and only by pressing his claim upon her by touching his mark had she realized something was seriously wrong.

She’d begun to panic.

Luckily his
sotiei
was strong. She’d fought the belief that she needed to kick him out of the Throne and instead asked for the witch doctor. It had been a silent battle against the urge to remove him, one that had cost her. She was pale and shaken, frightened of him as she had been before they’d joined. She’d asked him to wait on the far side of the Throne—the distance between them enough to still the irrational fear that pulsed through her.

He hated it. He wanted nothing more than to hold her, to have his presence ease her fears. To know
he
was the cause of them had his beast howling in rage.

This was more than the lingering effects of Terri’s torture. Something else was going on, something insidious, and Dragos was going to get to the bottom of it.

“
Hmm
means I’m thinking.” Selena circled Mina, studying her, the expression on the witch doctor’s face more of curiosity than anything else. “I sense...something there, but it’s elusive. Why didn’t I feel this before?”

“Because you were too busy dealing with my physical wounds.”

Dragos winced at Mina’s dead tone. Her wounds had been horrific. Deadly, in fact, and the urge to force the change upon her had been strong. If he’d fed from her before giving her blood, it would have begun the change in her. It took three exchanges of blood to make a mortal turn, and as much as dryads were supernatural their life spans were finite.

Now that he knew her life span would equal his, the urge to change her had disappeared. She would live, and he was content with that.

Still, his fear that he would lose her had been strong. He’d almost changed her, but he’d fought the impulse, knowing Mina would hate him for taking her choice away. Once begun, the process could not be stopped. No one knew that better than he did. His conversion had been both a tragedy and a blessing rolled into one, showing him his family’s true colors. Not one of them had stopped his father from beating him and, when that failed to kill him, banishing him.

Dragos had been compelled to give her his blood anyway to save his unconscious
sotiei
, but without an exchange the sacrifice had left him weakened for days.

It had been worth it to see her open her dark, gorgeous eyes once more. Bloodshot as they’d been, he’d never seen a more beautiful sight.

He paced across the Throne, keeping his distance from Mina. “I tasted nothing wrong in her blood.” Indeed, she’d been the best thing he’d ever tasted. Not a hint of pain had marred her flavor. Pain or fear often made the blood bitter. Dragos had long ago determined he preferred the taste of pleasure.

“Good to know.” Selena closed her eyes and lifted her face to the sky. When she opened them again, they were filmed over. The tree of life was a blazing symbol on her forehead, and underneath each eye were three glowing dots. She stared at Mina, her expression contorting into a grimace. “Damn.”

“What is it?” Mina’s shoulders went back. His
sotiei
was bracing herself for a blow.

“You’re cursed.”

Dragos began swearing in every language he knew. “We killed the bitch too quickly last time.”

“Well
I’m
not planning on putting Humpty back together again just so you can get some extra blows in.” Selena tilted her head. “Although...”

“What?” Dragos could feel his beast straining at the leash. His mate was cursed, threatened, and he wanted to rend and tear. He would feast on the one who’d done this until nothing was left, not even a fleeting memory on the wind. If he had to dig up Terri’s ashes, allowing her to become whole just so he could destroy her again, he would.

“Your mating has started to break the curse. It will take time, and your bonding will have to grow stronger, but I believe it will eventually overcome it.” The light faded from Selena’s face, her eyes returning to normal.

“The fears, they’re part of the curse?”

“I believe so, yes.”

He was so relieved he felt lightheaded. “Then Mina should be able to leave the Throne.”

“Eventually, yes.” She turned back to Mina. “If the symptoms become worse, you have to tell me. I might be able to do something to help, but I truly believe your continuing bond will take care of most of the curse, if not all of it.”

“Why is this happening now? Terri is dead.” The panic in Mina’s voice had him growling.

Dragos understood his mate’s confusion. There was no way the witch could perpetuate the curse if she was gone.

“I’m not sure what’s going on. I’m not even sure it was Terri who did this.” Selena frowned. “There’s the stink of evil, a rottenness that reminds me of Terri, but she was already dead when she arrived here. Her power was over plants, not magic. Without a soul, she had no connection to the earth and couldn’t cast magic.”

“Greg tells me you are not rooted in the earth, but in the spirit world.” The knowledge that he could hear Greg without Selena’s assistance seemed to surprise Mina. The ghost was unable to communicate normally with anyone other than Parker and his Renfield, Brian, without assistance.

Selena stilled, confirming Dragos’s information.

Dragos smiled. “Then he’s correct.”

“I have a soul, thank you very much.” She glared at him. “Terri did not.”

“I wasn’t—”

“My magic works the way it does
because
of where my power is rooted. Do you know what I had to go through to become what I am?”

He held up his hand before she could continue. This was why he’d never taken Selena up on her desire to bed him. They were both too alpha, too confrontational, but in different ways. They would wind up breaking each other instead of helping one another. “I never said any differently. I was wondering if it was possible Terri had also rooted herself in the spirit world and could still influence us here on the material plane.”

Selena opened her mouth, but the scowl smoothed out, becoming a confused frown. “You know, I have no idea. Huh.” She tapped her foot. “I hate that.”

Mina laughed. “We noticed.” She leaned against her tree and its leaves rustled in a nonexistent breeze, indicating she wasn’t nearly as nonchalant about the whole thing as she was acting.

“Pfft.” Selena rolled her eyes. “We’ll figure it out. I’ll do some research, get a hold of my contacts. If Terri is still able to influence you, she might also have a hold on Parker.”

“That won’t do. Amara would lose her mind, trying to protect him from something she can’t even touch.” And that would, in turn, destroy Parker, as his mind was linked to hers now.

“I could try to keep her calm, but with my issues, I’m not sure I’d succeed.” Mina blushed adorably. “In fact, my panic attacks could trigger her hamadryad instincts. She’d tear the town apart trying to find what threatened us.”

“Then we need to stop what’s happening, and fast.” Selena’s gaze darted around the Throne. “Where’s Ash? And Greer? I thought they’d be all over you.”

The way Selena had rushed through Ash’s name had Dragos hiding his smile. She would never admit it, but the witch doctor was attracted to Ashton Ward, far more so than she’d ever been to Dragos. She was fighting it with everything in her, but her blushes when he was around told otherwise.

“Communing with their trees. Between keeping Iva’s yew alive and trying to help me, they were both exhausted. They needed some time, so I ordered them to take it.” Mina’s eyes flashed and her chin tilted. There was the Queen of the Forest—ready to do battle for her people—that had so captured his attention during that town meeting. It was good to see her like that again.

Selena’s brows rose. “I’m surprised they obeyed.”

Mina’s smirk had bitter undertones. “I didn’t give them a choice.”

“So when it comes to the welfare of your people, you’re able to act. But when it comes to your own...?” Selena shrugged as Mina grimaced. “Sorry, but that helps define the parameters of the curse, which in turn helps us figure out how to break it faster.”

“So I need to help her feel safe?”

Selena shook her head. “I don’t think so. I think you need to push her boundaries, force her to accept you when she fights you. And she
will
fight you.”

“I’m right here, you know.” Mina sniffed, aggravated.

Selena tilted her head at her. “Was I speaking to you?”

Dragos bit back a laugh.

Mina crossed her arms. “This is my problem, not his.”

“Uh, wrong.” Selena held up her fingers. “One, it
is
his problem now that he’s started the bonding process. He might even share in your nightmares.”

Mina looked utterly horrified. “Please tell me you’re lying.”

Selena huffed. “Fine. I’m lying.”

“Oh, thank the Goddess.”

“He might be an
active participant
in your nightmares.”

Mina stood there, blinking for a moment. “I hate you
so
much.”

Dragos watched the women spar. If he was mortal he would have broken out popcorn.

“Two, whoever is targeting you—be it Terri or someone else—will eventually figure out that the bond has begun.”

The great oak began to sway. The trees in the Throne reacted to their mistress, thrashing at unseen enemies.

“She’ll go after him.” Mina stared at him, unblinking, and he understood how dangerous a dryad in the forest could
truly
be. She could kill him with a thought from miles away, impaling his heart or taking his head before he could defend himself.

It was oddly arousing, the power that flowed through her. Her strength drew him in.

“Calm yourself, Mina.”

“No.” She began to stalk toward him, and from the ground where she stepped moonflowers sprang in full bloom. “You’re in danger.”

“Poisonous flowers aren’t going to save him.” Selena plucked one of the blooms. “But I’m running a little low on supplies, so thank you for that.”

Mina shook her head, but some of the tension that had ridden her eased. “You are the strangest woman I’ve ever met.”

“I know.” Selena waved a hand, and her broom landed in her palm. “I’m outtie. Let me know if you need anything else, Dragos.”

He nodded, more of a bow of gratitude than a casual farewell. “Thank you, Selena.”

“You’re welcome. Just...do me a favor.”

“Of course.” He watched as she straddled her broom and lifted from the ground.

“Take care of her. The forest needs her.”

Since the marks on her forehead were glowing faintly in the moonlight, Dragos took the warning to heart. “I will guard her with my life.”

“That wasn’t what I meant, you stubborn... Ugh. Vampires.” Selena leaned down and poked him on top of his head. How she managed that without falling off her broom he’d never know. “I meant, when the night terrors hit, help her. Help her overcome her terror of stepping outside the Throne.”

“I will.” His mate would overcome this affliction, he had no doubt of that. He would feed her his own strength if need be.

“I believe most of what’s going on is due to the curse. Perhaps Terri, in her death throes, tossed something at Mina, and it’s taken her link to you and twisted it. Until I can do a little more research we’re flying blind.” She blinked film-covered eyes. “No pun intended.”

“Thank you, Selena.” But he stood by what he’d said.

His
sotiei
would be safe, no matter what the cost.

Chapter Five

“Well. Aren’t you a pretty one?”

Mina froze. There was danger outside the Throne. She lifted her hands from the yew’s roots and turned.

It was like looking at a darker, meaner version of Dragos. His eyes weren’t shining silver, but dark gunmetal grey. His black locks hung in waves below his shoulders, where Dragos kept his neatly trimmed. His square jaw was tight, his thin lips pressed together in disdain. And beneath his skin she sensed—

Holy crap.

No wonder Dragos kept his ancestry a secret. Creatures like the one before her were the stuff of myths and legends. If this got out, more than just Van Helsings would hunt her mate.

Still. She was Queen here, and this man was tied to the forest, tied to
her
. If need be, she’d impose her will, or he would die. It was just that simple.

Dragos shouldn’t even be here.

She shook off the insidious whisper. Dragos was here, safe, and the little voice that told her what a bad idea having him here would just have to deal with it. Mina stiffened her spine, calling on her power to surround her. The oak’s branches swayed gently in response, the Throne’s guardians waking at her command. This man must
not
step foot in the Throne. “If you’re looking for Dragos, he isn’t here.”

A lie, but a small one. Dragos was in his day sleep, guarded by the Throne. He’d refused to return to the mansion, swearing he’d rest better knowing she was safe and nearby. Despite the desperate jangling of her nerves, she’d been unable to refuse him. He’d called Eddy, told the boy to go to Brian and Greg’s where he’d be safe. Eddy had refused, claiming that if he had a free night he was going to have his friends come over. Dragos had grumbled but acquiesced. When the sun began to rise he’d gone to ground inside the Throne. That meant that, although his body might be in the earth beneath her tree, his mind was wherever vampires went when they slept, and only his beast remained.

Mina tried to still her racing heart. If his beast sensed a threat to her Dragos would erupt from the earth and destroy everything around her to keep her safe.

He’ll destroy you too.
You need to get him out of the Throne.

The man before her bowed, the move elegant and sensuous. “My name is Lord Vasile Ibanescu, and I am here for my brother.” His brow cocked upward. “As you guessed correctly.” He lifted his chin and scented the air. “He
is
here, is he not?”

“You could say that, and you could say not.” Mina took a step toward the edge of the Throne, toward the intruder. “He is under my protection.” She put the power of the forest into her voice, using it to enforce her edict. Nothing would touch her mate while he slumbered beneath the Throne.

He’s no more your mate than Greer is.
Get him out now
,
before it’s too late.

Mina took a deep breath, desperate to keep her fear from reaching the creatures both before her and below her. The trees around the Throne began to move their branches, forming a protective barrier between Mina and Vasile.

His dark gray eyes widened in surprise and he took a step back. “I mean him no harm. Our father wishes to speak with him.”

Bullshit. No way was this man here to give Dragos a cute fuzzy bunny and a note from daddy. He was here for blood, nothing less.

Your blood.
Dragos needs to leave before more harm befalls you.

She licked her lips, shivering as his eyes followed the movement. “Does your father wish him harm?”

His pause said it all.

“Then I believe Dragos will remain exactly where he is.”

“My brother, Trajan, is already here. You must beware him. He is closely tied to my father.” Vasile’s thin mouth tightened further. “Laurentiu Ibanescu would see his youngest son dead, and I believe Trajan is here to assist in that.”

Mina took a deep breath. She didn’t like the thought that there might be someone after her mate, not when she was in such a weakened state. “Where is your father now?”

Vasile scowled. “I want to speak to Dragos.”

“And you may, tonight, when he awakens.” And she’d had a chance to check with him that it was all right to speak to Vasile. She had no idea what was going on in Dragos’s life outside of the Throne.

He shouldn’t be
inside
the Throne.
What were you thinking?
You know better.
He’ll betray you!

The earth beneath her feet rumbled. Hell. The beast was waking up, responding to her rising panic. She had to do something, fast, before Dragos erupted from the earth.

“I wish to speak to my brother
now
.”

“You don’t always get what you want.” A flash of pale blond hair streaked with orange made Mina wanted to cheer. Greer and Ash were stepping out of their trees, responding to Mina’s anger and fear. “Haven’t you heard that song before?”

Ash glided silently across the Throne to stand beside his Queen, his green eyes flashing a warning at the intruder. In his hand his silver sword gleamed. Her guardian meant business, and Vasile would not be getting into the Throne any time soon. He would die before he’d finished planting a single foot over the line.

“And you are?”

Greer bowed, his sunny hair a bright spot in the Throne. His brown eyes twinkled merrily. “Greer Berkley, at your service. Or not. That depends entirely on whether or not you’re a dickhead.” He tilted his head and leaned back against his tree, his calm, smiling face not fooling Mina for a second. She’d known him far too long. “You’re not a dickhead, are you?”

Vasile growled, the tone so low it was almost inaudible.

“Ashton Ward, and you’re trespassing here.” Ash’s expression was cold, remote, the sword held at the ready by his side.

“So I gather.” Ash rated a far more wary glance than Greer had. Mina could have told Vasile that, of the two, Greer was far more dangerous. Everyone dismissed him as a nonthreat, someone to mock or ignore. No one saw the man coming, and if they did?

Well. None of them had lived to tell the tale.

When her two guardians acted in tandem, all hell broke loose.

They’re here now.
They can keep you safe.
When Dragos awakes
,
send him home.

A crack appeared in the earth. “
Shh.
” Mina sent soothing thoughts to Dragos, hoping to keep him silent, still. Vasile was not going to harm her. She wouldn’t allow it.

“
Vasile.
”

Mina blinked. The voice in her mind was gravelly, sinful. Dragos, but...not. Dragos’s beast was aware of her, worried for her. She tried to respond, hoping he’d hear her. “
It’s all right.
I’m safe.
Ash and Greer will protect me
,
I
swear.
Go back to sleep.
”

With a rumbling mental sigh Dragos settled back down.

When she focused her attention once more on Vasile the man was pale. “That was—”

“Dragos. Yes.” She smiled grimly. “I suggest you not wake him.”

Vasile nodded, his expression thoughtful but his skin still pale with shock. “I had thought that he’d overcome his affliction.”

“Being a vampire is not an affliction.” She wouldn’t necessarily call it a gift, but affliction implied that Dragos was some sort of abomination, and that she would not tolerate.

Vasile grimaced. “It is to us.” He straightened his spine and held up his hand before Mina could protest. “I mean him no disrespect, but when Dragos became a vampire, our people turned against him. Worse, my father was the one leading the charge. I had hoped...” He glanced away, and for a moment his cruel expression became sad, lost. “No. It doesn’t matter what I had hoped.” His expression was once more set in cold, cruel lines. Mina was becoming more and more convinced it was a mask Vasile wore to protect himself. “Tell him to meet me when he awakes. I won’t wait long.”

With that, Vasile took off, straight up into the air, the flicker of a wing sudden and shocking. Vaseli Ibanescu was gone in the blink of an eye—only the still swaying branches marking his passing.

Greer sighed happily. “You meet the most interesting people when I take a nap.”

Ash rolled his eyes and sheathed his sword. “Dragos?”

Mina responded without thinking. “Mine.”

Over my dead body.

Ash jumped, staring at her with a shocked expression. “Mina?”

“Hmm?”

“Who the fuck was that?”

“You heard it?”

“Clear as if the speaker was standing next to me.” His gaze sharpened. “Right where you’re standing, actually. But it wasn’t you. It was someone else.”

“I heard it too. Whatever is going on, it’s coming from the outside, not in.” Greer’s brows rose. “Someone’s been sleeping in your head.”

Mina scowled as Ash smacked Greer on the back of the head.

They were right.

The voice that had been keeping her from Dragos, the one that had locked her in the Throne, wasn’t hers.

* * *

“Vasile was here.”

Dragos froze, the dirt and debris he’d been brushing from his clothing forgotten. “Oh?”

Mina nodded. She was keeping her distance from him again, something he intended to remedy before too much longer. “He says your father is coming for you, and to beware your other brother.”

“Trajan.”

“Is that his name? I thought he said Lawrence or something.”

Oh, hell no. That hadn’t occurred to him. If Vasile already knew about Mina, Laurentiu soon would too. Vasile always had been a daddy’s boy, more so than Trajan. “My father’s name is Prince Laurentiu Ibanescu.”

“Prince of Dragons.”

Dragos tried desperately not to growl at Greer. The pain in the ass had been harassing him since he’d woken at twilight. Blurting out that there even
was
a Prince of Dragons could wind up killing someone—namely Dragos. He’d had more than one supernatural hunter come after him over the years, and not because he was the mayor of Maggie’s Grove. “Yes.”

“I always said you were cold-blooded.” Greer grinned as Dragos flashed fang at him. “So you’re a vampiric weredragon, huh?”

“I’m a vampire.” It wouldn’t do to reveal all of his secrets, especially to Greer. Now that the ruling dryads had rejoined Maggie’s Grove society the man gossiped like an old church lady, just without the clingy garlic-and-incense smell.

Greer was grinning like a loon. “Still, it must be cool to know you can use your mighty dragon breath to fell your enemies.”

“He can do that anyway. He just has to forget to brush his fangs.” Ash was studying him closely. “You’ve begun to bond with Mina. Her oak has accepted you.”

Dragos’s brows rose. How did Ash know that? “It’s none of your affair.”

Ash tapped his fingers against his thigh. If Ash felt the need he would attack without hesitation. He was the one Dragos trusted most to watch Mina when he couldn’t do it himself. Ash was the guardian—the one who watched out for all of them, protected them. Ash wouldn’t truly rest until Mina was cured and Iva was restored to them. “I believe it is.”

Dragos cocked a brow at him, hoping to get the man to back off. These were Mina’s closest friends. He didn’t want to alienate them, but he
would
finish his bond with Mina or die trying. “Would you want me to interfere with you and Selena?”

“Yes, please, thank you. He’s been a miserable bastard recently.” Greer made a face. Dragos guessed he was supposed to look like a dour Ash, but instead he merely looked constipated. “Boo hoo, the witch doctor won’t kiss my boo-boos.”

“Like you’re having any better luck with Mollie.” Ash smiled. “By the way, how long has she been dating Carter?”

From the expression on Greer’s face it seemed he didn’t appreciate his friend’s comment at all. Maybe it was time Dragos got them back on track and off their nonexistent love lives before blood was shed. “Gentlemen—”

“Dragos? Could you come here for a moment?”

Dragos was at Mina’s side before she’d finished speaking. “Yes,
dragă
Mina?”

“Um.” Her eyes went wide and she took a step back. “You heard about the voice in my head?”

“It’s not you.” And now that he could hear it as well, he could tell her that with utter certainty. “I’m not certain who it is. They’re attempting to mimic your voice, and have, for the most part, succeeded.”

“To the point where I was ready to toss you out of here the moment you awoke.” She grimaced, and he could hear the voice nattering at her, urging her to do just that.

Dragos scowled and targeted the voice. “
Du—te dracului.
”

For just a second he felt the intruder, felt their startled response, before they pulled away from Mina. He wasn’t going to fool himself. The presence wasn’t gone. He could still sense it, lurking in the darkness of Mina’s mind, ready to pounce the moment she began to doubt again.

He had to find who was harming his
sotiei
, and soon. It was unacceptable that she suffered in any way.

“What did that mean?”

Dragos smiled, his fangs fully elongated. “I told the voice to go to hell.”

“Oh.” She looked down at something in her hand. It was her cell phone. He wasn’t about to ask how a woman who lived in the woods kept her electronics charged. Therein lay madness. “I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I just got a text from Dominic Davis. He says your Renfield is at the mayor’s office and he’s frightened.”

Shit. Now what? “Dominic or Eddy?” Dominic was the town treasurer, and a good friend. If Eddy had gone looking for him and been afraid, Dominic would take care of him. The man might look like an awkward dandy, but he was far more powerful than anyone gave him credit for. He just chose to hide it under a layer of geekiness.

He was hiding, and Dragos was more than happy to help him. If people knew what Dominic truly was, they would make the poor man’s life a living hell.

Dragos could relate. He’d hidden his light for so long he wasn’t certain it was there anymore. The vampiric beast that lived within him often tried to override his common sense.