Tianna Xander (6 page)

“To Alaska.”

“What! You can’t take me to Alaska. It’s cold there.” She shivered as though she was already cold. “I have important body parts that could freeze off!”

Damek leaned close, and whispered in her ear, “I will keep you warm, May. I promise.”

Shivering again, May rubbed her ear and pushed him away. “Get away from me. I really don’t like you at the moment.”

Damek stood and moved to the kit he’d dropped on the floor when he feared for her life just a few moments before. “Just so long as that feeling doesn’t last, little one.” Bending, he picked up the little bag and moved toward the back of the plane. “I’ll be right back. Don’t go anywhere.”

“Yeah, right. He says don’t go anywhere. Where could I go? I sure can’t flush myself down the toilet.”

Laughing, Damek made his way back to the still-open safe and replaced the kit. He didn’t think he’d ever been happier in his life.

Chapter Nine

May sat still and stared out the window. She probably shouldn’t give Damek such a hard time. He
was
trying to protect her, after all. At least that’s what he said, and if there was one thing she’d learned, it was that most dragons didn’t lie. They had no need to. They usually had a way to take whatever they wanted without having to lie to get it. Why should Damek be any different?

She rubbed her stomach again, still feeling a little queasy. Moving to the edge of the seat, she grasped the cushion in front of her and pulled herself to her feet. Dizzy, May swayed a bit before the plane stopped spinning and she made her way to the back of the aircraft, looking for Damek and the bathroom. She’d already made up her mind that she would throw up when she found one of them. It didn’t really matter which one she found. Either way, she’d get some relief from the pain.

“It figures,” she said a bit disappointed when she found the bathroom.

Her eyes widened when she turned on the light and entered the room. It wasn’t like every other bathroom she’d seen on planes. This one had a tub and a shower. It took every ounce of willpower she had not to throw up on the plush cream-colored carpeting. Rushing to the sink, she bowed her head over the basin and let it go.

Afterward, she rinsed the sink and used one of the unopened toothbrushes and the toothpaste to brush her teeth. She didn’t want rancid breath, although, maybe that would have been a good thing to keep Damek away.

She wiped her mouth on the towel hanging next to the mirror and tried to convince herself that she
wanted
to keep Damek away.

With the towel still covering the lower half of her face, May stared at herself in the mirror with a frown. She
should
want to keep him away. His size terrified her. She didn’t know why. All she knew was that she couldn’t, just couldn’t be his mate. Would fate really be so cruel as to mate her with someone so…so huge?

Someone knocked on the door. May didn’t answer because she knew it had to be
him
. What should she do?

“Are you okay in there, May?”

“I’m coming.” The words were out of her mouth before she knew she was even going to say them.

“Oh, don’t lie to me like that, little one. You aren’t even breathing hard. I can tell.”

Her cheeks reddened at his teasing remark. May hung the hand towel back up on the holder beside the mirror and tried not to think about how big the man was. He was a nice man. He wouldn’t hurt her. If he intended to harm her, he wouldn’t have brought her here to try to save her.

Frowning, she thought about that for a minute. Exactly how was taking her to Alaska supposed to save her? With her fears firmly back in place, May took a deep breath, pulled up her big-girl panties and prepared to face her dragon.
Literally
.

What are you thinking, May? He is
not
your dragon.

Flinging the door open, she stood and glared up at him, wishing there was a live plant up here—preferably one with vines so she could strangle him with it.

“Why does that smile of yours make me nervous?” he asked when she tried to push past him.

“I don’t have the slightest idea what you’re talking about.” She felt her cheeks heating as she tried to make her way back to the seating area.

When she finally got there, she looked around with dismay. Wasn’t there even one place to sit off by itself where she wouldn’t have to put up with him being so close? She couldn’t breathe when he was so close.

She moved through the area, praying that she would find that one lone chair, but didn’t find one. Turning, she glared up at him. “Stop following me around.”

“I’m just seeing to your safety, May.”

“No, dammit, you’re following me around and ticking me off.”

“My name is Damek, little one.”

What the heck was he talking about now? She didn’t even say his name. May thought over what she said and stomped her foot. “You know very well that I know what your name is.”

He just grinned at her, his right cheek revealed that little dimple and she could swear she actually felt her knees go weak.

I am not attracted to the muscle-bound jerk. I am not attracted to the muscle-bound jerk.
She chanted the words a few more times while she walked away from him again.

“Where are you going?”

“I’m going to find a place where there is only one seat so I don’t have to put up with you being so close to me.”

“Well, you’re headed in the right direction.”

May brightened up. “Really?”

“Yes,” he said with a nod, his expression unreadable. “Go a few more feet and turn right. You can’t miss it.”

With a smile, May spun around, hurried in the direction he indicated, turned and stopped with a scowl. “This is the bathroom.” She rested her hands on her hips and turned to glare at him. “Do you expect me to sit in here for the entire flight?” If he did, he was going to be disappointed.

“You’re the one who wanted the seat with no one around.”

“No. I wanted to find a place where you wouldn’t be sitting next to me, breathing down my neck.”

He raised a brow. “I haven’t breathed down your neck, May. Believe me when I say, had I done so, you would know it.”

“Bah!” She threw her hands in the air and stomped to the nearest seat, lifted the armrest between the two and put her feet up on the other side.

“When will you calm down, little one?”

“When you take me home,
giant
one.”

Damek crossed his arms and watched while she did her best to sit comfortably with the armrest digging into her back. With a sigh, he reached down and reclined his seat. “Sit up properly and do this.”

“No way, buster. I am
so
not laying down here so you can sit next to me and breathe on me.” She didn’t know if she could take it. Every word that came out of his mouth slid over her senses like warm butter. There was no way she would withstand an all-out assault if he decided to make one. She knew it.

With a laugh, Damek sat up. “What is this fascination you have with my breathing on you?”

“Nothing. Absolutely nothing.” May wriggled in place for another minute or two, then, with a sigh, she sat up properly and gave him a look that dared him to take the empty spot next to her.

She couldn’t think when he sat so close. She kept telling herself that it was because he scared her. It had nothing to do with the fact that he made her feel all warm and tingly inside. It also had nothing to do with knowing the man had carried her here in his arms without breaking a sweat. May didn’t know how she knew that. She just did.

After a few moments, May relaxed. Damek didn’t leave his seat and she began to feel tired. “I have a question.”

“I shall strive to answer it to the best of my ability.”

She smiled to herself when he didn’t add
little one
to the end of his sentence. Perhaps calling him,
giant
one
worked—even if it
had
been a childish thing to do.

“How did you know I was poisoned?”

Chapter Ten

“You were holding your stomach, then you started talking as though you were drunk. Since I knew you had no more than a few sips of wine, it couldn’t have been the alcohol.”

Damek watched her reaction. He expected her disbelief, however, and wasn’t surprised when she gave him a look that said she
didn’t
believe a word he said. “After I smelled your dinner, I tasted it and the poison was easy to distinguish from the food.”

“Uh, huh. For you, maybe.” May nodded. Leaning back a bit more, she crossed her feet at the ankles. “And you won’t take me back until you find out who poisoned me?”

How could he make her understand? Damek sat up and slid forward in his seat. Resting his elbows on his knees, he clasped his hands before him and met her gaze. “The antidote is there. I brought you to get you to the antidote as soon as possible.” He leaned back and looked at her, with a frown. “Why did you not need the antidote?”

May shrugged. “It’s something about plants. I’m not allergic to poison ivy or other plants like most humans are. If I ingest something I shouldn’t, it makes me sick for a little while, but it won’t kill me.” She leaned her head back against the seat. “My sisters and brothers used to bring me berries when we went camping. We all knew that if the berries didn’t make me sick, the rest could eat them safely.” She shrugged. “It was a kind of game to us.”

“Then you do have an affinity for plants?”

“I can grow them. I can bring them back from the brink of death, but I can’t make it stick. After a few minutes, or a few hours at most, they all return to the state they were in before I tried to save them.” She held her hands out, palms up and smiled. “What can I say? I try, but I’m not very good at it.”

“You will be, once you find your mate.”

“Yeah, right.” She snorted. “Like that will ever happen.” She looked up at him and held her hand out. “Don’t say it. Don’t even think it. I am
not
your mate.”

“One kiss would prove that to both of us.” If she wasn’t his mate, he would still attempt to employ her assistance in finding the plants he sought. If she
was
, they both would know once and for all.

“I don’t kiss men I’ve just met.”

“Even if they saved your life?”

“You didn’t save my life.”

“I would have if you weren’t so resilient.” He leaned back and crossed his legs, his ankle resting on his knee. “What if you hadn’t been able to fight that poison off? What if your body couldn’t produce an antigen to purge the poison from your system?”

“It always does. If the poison comes from a natural source, my body
always
produces its own cure. Nothing that this Earth provides naturally can harm me.”

“That should tell you something, May.”

“What?”

He almost smiled when she frowned at him. He was falling in love with that little crease between her brows. If she only knew her frowns turned him on, she’d probably smile all of the time.

“Your sister, Tansy, has a certain power over fire. Her mate is the fire dragon.
You
have power over plants and all things natural to this Earth. Your mate could very well be the Earth Dragon. It makes sense, does it not?”

“You just aren’t going to let up, are you?” she said with a snarl. “Fine!” Standing, she stomped over to him, plopped herself in his lap and grabbed each side of his collar. “I’ll try not to say I told you so when we’re through.”

Damek could have killed that damned fool pilot when the
fasten seatbelt
light clicked on and he made his announcement.

“Please put your seat backs and tray tables in their upright positions and fasten your safety belts. We are coming in for a landing at Anchorage.”

May hopped off his lap, with a small smile. “Saved by the bell.” She grinned. “Now, you’re just going to have to continue wondering.
I
already know what the answer will be.”

One of his drivers awaited them as they disembarked. Damek examined the man, trying to remember his name. He frowned when he realized he didn’t even remember hiring the man. Either he needed a vacation, or something wasn’t right. He
should
remember his employees. Damek made it a habit to get to know each and every one of them.

“Hello,” Damek said as he reached out his hand. He didn’t normally shake hands as a greeting to his employees either, except when it was their first meeting. “I’m afraid I don’t remember your name.”