Taste of Darkness (22 page)

“Not far,” Keelin said, intentionally vague, he was certain. “Why don’t you get a coat and we’ll meet them?”

“I’m fine.” Cargo pants and a long-sleeved black T-shirt were good enough. He wasn’t wasting the time to grab a jacket. He had a higher body temperature, the same as all dragons he’d assumed. But he noticed Keelin was wearing a thick jacket with fur trim over black ski pants. “Does the cold affect you the same as humans?”

She paused for a moment, then shook her head. “No. We tend to dress similar to humans so we don’t draw unnecessary attention to ourselves. Besides, I look great in this jacket.”

Something warm inside him unfurled at the light note in her voice. The Stavros pack had welcomed him and been kind to him, but he hadn’t felt accepted in the same way he was starting to with his siblings. “How far is Victoria?” Because a raw energy had started to hum through him at the thought of being separated from her any longer.

“Not far. Come on.”

She didn’t have to tell him twice. The possessive need to get to Victoria was more than just a simmer beneath the surface now. His shifter side was demanding he make his claim.

* * *

Victoria waved at Drake and Keelin as they made their way toward her up the big snow-covered hill. Rhea and Gabriel stood quietly nearby. After being cooped up in that guest house all day, well two days really, she and her wolf had been ready to get out and run. Later tonight she’d run in wolf form but for now, being outside inhaling the crisp winter air, was therapeutic. Twilight had already fallen and the sky was slowly lighting up with a brilliant blanket of stars.

And she’d decided that her male needed some fun in his life. Especially after what had happened in Tennessee. Keelin had told Victoria that Drake hadn’t slept the entire time she’d been asleep after the poison had been extracted from her body. And she was fairly certain he hadn’t slept today when she’d dozed again either. She was going to make sure he got some sleep tonight, but until then, she was going to make sure he relaxed. He deserved it.

His expression grim, he trudged up the snowy embankment looking as if he was going to a funeral. When he and Keelin reached the top, his frown deepened.

“Why are you outside?” he barked.

Everyone froze for a second, Rhea and Gabriel looking away before giving them space as if they didn’t want to be part of this. Victoria poked Drake in the chest. “Well it’s good to see you too.”

His face flushed, but the darkness in his gaze remained. “Shouldn’t you be in bed.” Not a question.

Rolling her eyes, she grabbed his T-shirt and tugged him down to her. Luckily he didn’t withdraw, even if he still looked like the grim reaper. She brushed her lips over his, needing to taste him, to reassure herself of his presence, even if the kiss was relatively chaste. He let out a soft groan, his big body melting against hers as he pulled her close.

“Get a fucking room,” Gabriel muttered.

Oh, they were going to very soon. Letting her boots fall flat against the crunchy snow, she reluctantly withdrew from Drake, though she didn’t move out of the protective cage of his body. Not that he seemed inclined to let her go. “Did everything go okay with your brother?” He hadn’t told her what he planned to talk to Conall about and he’d seemed unsure of himself.

Not so now. Drake nodded. “Yes. Are you sure—”

“Don’t mother me,” she said softly, for his ears only. She might have almost died, but she was still here and she didn’t like being smothered. Something he knew. And especially not from him. She got enough of that craziness from her pack and she loved that Drake treated her like an equal.

He opened his mouth once as if to argue, but nodded. “Okay. I bought you a present today.”

Excitement jumped inside her. “What is it?”

A half-grin played across his sensuous lips. She wanted to lean up and lick him. “I’ll give it to you later. First tell me why we’re out here.”

“Keelin said when you were young you loved playing in the snow and even though they didn’t have toboggans back then, you guys made makeshift sleds. I thought you might like to get out and relax.” She nodded at a row of five plastic, sleek looking sleds big enough for two people. Gabriel, Rhea and Keelin were all choosing theirs about ten yards away.

The top of the hill was lined with trees and now Drake noticed there was a small, wooden shed in between two of them. Lennox, one of the warriors, come out carrying a blue and black toboggan where they must be stored. Drake had been so focused on getting to Victoria he hadn’t been paying attention to anything else, including his surroundings.

Dangerous
, the predator inside warned. He’d stayed alive a long time because of his predator instinct. He wouldn’t let himself be distracted like that again. He
couldn’t
.

Being on guard around Victoria was a priority. His throat was tight as he looked back down at his mate, his sweet healer. “Thank you.” Because she was right. The thought of going sledding with her, of doing something normal like this, filled him with a sensation that was so foreign he wasn’t sure he remembered the word for it.

It felt a lot like pure, unadulterated happiness.

Memories of playing with a small, blonde haired little girl, obviously Keelin, and a boy who looked like Drake, obviously Conall, hummed through him. Sometimes the girl would shift to her dragon form. She’d been so small as a dragon, her form adorable. But there was also a memory of playing in the snow with a redheaded boy. It had to be real.

Victoria smiled and softly kissed him again, the feel of her lips making the memory dissipate. His entire body tightened, her crisp scent drawing him in, teasing him. When she pulled back he stopped a groan from escaping. “I want to give you your present now.”

Her green eyes lit up. “Are you sure it’s a publicly appropriate gift?”

He blinked, unsure what she meant for all of two seconds before her meaning set in. The thought of laying her out on his big bed, having her naked beneath him as he claimed her was a potent image in his mind. One he forced himself to shelve. For now.

He reached in to his pocket and pulled out a small rectangular-shaped, red box. It wasn’t overly expensive, but when he’d seen it at the jeweler’s store in the village he’d known it was meant for her. The owner had told him that a human artist from the nearby town made custom pieces and sold them through jewelers in the area. Apparently this piece had been delivered two days ago and according to the owner wouldn’t have lasted long in his store. Drake believed him.

Practically jumping up and down, Victoria snagged it from his hands. When she opened it up, she went still. For a moment she stopped breathing and he worried he’d chosen wrong.

“It’s platinum,” he blurted. Maybe she thought it was silver.

“It’s beautiful,” she whispered, pulling out the necklace by the delicate chain. Two platinum wings with fine green emeralds placed along the feathers glinted under the rising moonlight and stars. And they weren’t angel wings, the style much more similar to dragon wings. Which made him wonder at the human designer who’d made them.

When Victoria’s gaze met his, a sheen of wetness greeted him, making his throat tighten until she threw her arms around his neck and buried her face against it. “Thank you. It’s perfect.”

“You’re perfect,” he murmured.

Giving him a watery laugh, she turned around. “I’m glad you think so. Will you put this on me?”

The delicate chain and clasp was awkward in his hands, but he managed to get it on.

Her face was lit with raw joy as she tucked it under her green sweater and said, “So nothing happens to it while we’re sledding.” Then she grabbed his hand and tugged him toward where the others were talking and laughing.

His gift was another symbol for how badly he wanted to claim her. The desire to mark her was a living, growing thing in him and one he wasn’t sure he could control any longer.

* * *

Conall waited at the foot of the hill for Drake and Victoria to slide down on their toboggans. When he’d received a text from his aunt that Drake was out sledding he hadn’t believed it. Mainly because he hadn’t thought his brother would let Victoria outside.

Not that Victoria seemed like the type of female to let any male walk all over her. Which was good. Dragons were notoriously overprotective and a strong female mate was a necessity. Even if they hadn’t technically mated yet, it was coming soon. Drake’s scent was all over her and vice versa, but mated shifters put off a distinctive scent, letting other supernaturals know they were taken.

“Are you joining us?” Victoria asked as they reached the bottom of the hill. Drake put his feet out to slow them down, his arms wrapped protectively around the wolf shifter even when they were doing something as simple as sledding.

“No, but I need to speak to Drake about a visitor he has.” Conall’s gaze flicked over to Rhea and Gabriel racing each other down the slope, the fierce female grabbing the male’s rein to disrupt his balance and slow him down so she could win. He started to smile then caught himself as he focused on Victoria and Drake.

He didn’t need to think about the sexy female in any capacity. A small part of him wished there had been a clear sexual relationship between Rhea and Gabriel. It would have put her directly in the off limits category. But his inner dragon clawed at that thought, not wanting anyone to touch the strong female. No one but him.

“Victoria can hear anything you have to say.”

Conall nodded and motioned back toward the bottom of the hill which led to the road where his SUV waited. As they reached the curb, far enough away from everyone that they wouldn’t overhear, he shoved his hands in his pockets and leaned against the passenger side. “A female from another clan is here to see you.” His gaze snapped to Victoria when she started growling low in her throat.

She blinked and flushed red, as if realizing what she was doing. “Sorry, I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”

Drake just looked smug, pulling her close. “Growl all you want. The sound is…appealing.”

She flushed even darker, then nudged Drake before focusing on Conall. “Please continue. No more growling, I promise.”

“I should have started with, a childhood
friend
is here to see you,” he said to his brother. “One of our clan members mated a member of the Devlin clan’s royalty and when she heard you were back, insisted on coming right away. They weren’t supposed to be here for another two days, but came early. I’d planned to speak to you about it tomorrow.” There, he sounded almost normal talking about his former betrothed, even if her early arrival annoyed him.

“Why are you talking strange?” Drake asked.

And Victoria was frowning at him too. “Do you not like this female?” she asked softly, all caring and concern that made him want to squirm under her intense gaze.

“Fia is a lovely female.”

Victoria snorted. “Come on. What’s wrong?”

How did they see right through him? “She is my former betrothed.”

“You were
engaged
to this female?” Victoria asked while Drake simply watched him with an unreadable expression.

Conall nodded.

“Oh.” Victoria just bit her bottom lip then looked at Drake, as if waiting for him to say something.

His brother frowned. “We were all friends?”

Conall nodded. The three of them had been close, learning to fly and cause mischief together. All the clan’s children had been close.

Drake grunted. “I don’t remember her and I don’t care to meet some female who hurt my brother.”

It took a lot to surprise Conall and in that moment, something inside his chest cracked. He’d missed Drake more than he’d allowed himself to admit. His brother was the one who’d taught him how to sled, how to fly figure eights and how to sneak treats from Aunt Alma’s kitchen without getting caught. When he’d disappeared, or died as they’d all assumed, it had ripped out a chunk of Conall’s heart. He’d tried to hide his mourning so as not to upset his mother even more, but he’d never gotten over his brother’s disappearance. “It’s not like that.”

“Hmm,” Victoria murmured, as if she didn’t believe him.

“It’s
not
.” Why did she make him feel like a child explaining himself? “Things ended but she’s still a kind female.” That was what had made things so hard. “We were promised to each other since we were young. After you…disappeared, our parents made an alliance in an effort to keep the clan strong. As we grew older, I developed feelings for her. She did not return them. Things ended and our families are still cordial. It is not an epic story.”

Drake was quiet so long Conall wondered if he’d ever speak. Finally his brother shook his head, as if he’d made a decision. “I’m enjoying this time with my mate. Tomorrow I’ll make a decision whether to see her.”

“Drake—”

His brother’s expression was set. “We will sit down and discuss everything about her current clan. Before any outsiders meet my mate, I will know
everything
about them.”

Conall held back a smile and nodded. That sounded like the brother he’d known as a child. The male wanted to look at every angle of any situation. It was a smart, tactical move as well, and showed natural leadership. Something he appreciated. Especially if Drake decided to take over ruling the clan. “I will meet them at the gate and tell them.”