Destiny Kills (8 page)

Everything about him made so much more sense now. I blew out a breath, then asked, “So where do you fit into all this?”

“Me? I’m the unwanted get of the maid.” His tone was lightly mocking.

I raised my eyebrows and said, “You don’t have the attitude of someone unwanted.”

He glanced at me, amusement bright in his blue eyes. “And just what sort of attitude would that be?”

“Sullen. Angry.”

“Oh, I’m angry. Trust me on that.”

“Yeah, but it’s a different kind of anger. More vengeful than the-world-owes-me-a-living.”

A smile teased his lips and my hormones again. “You’re quick to judge someone you’ve only just met.” He glanced briefly at the rearview again. “Tell me how you and Egan met.”

“I told you how we met. In a cage, in the research center.”

“And the scientists forced you together?”

“Well, it wasn’t force, but we weren’t given a whole lot of choice, either.” It was either mate, or have them force the issue by in vitro fertilization. Something they’d ended up trying anyway after so many years of nothing happening.

And it still hadn’t worked, simply because they had no understanding of a sea dragon’s nature. They might well implant me with a fertilized egg, but it wouldn’t stay that way nor grow in my womb.

“I’m gathering they wanted you to reproduce?”

“Yeah.”

“Egan wasn’t your mate, so that wasn’t going to happen.”

I raised an eyebrow. “You seem very certain of that.”

He smiled. “You wouldn’t be responding to me so fiercely if he
had
been. Besides, Sila was his mate.”

“God, it’s a wonder he didn’t kill his father.” I would have, had I been in his shoes. “So can female air dragons dictate when they get pregnant, like we sea dragons can?”

He looked surprised at the thought. “No, that’s the male’s prerogative.”

“And when air dragons finally meet their destined mates, do the males remain faithful?”

He glanced at me, amusement touching his lips. “Why the questions? Sourcing out a potential mate, are we?”

Heat touched my cheeks and I looked away from his knowing gaze. “No. But Egan wouldn’t talk about this stuff, and I have no one else to ask.”

“Ah.” He contemplated the road for a second, then said, “It depends on whether they actually commit to their mates or not. If they do, then they remain faithful. If they don’t, then no. My father is one of the latter—he has no regard whatsoever for his soul mate, and beds whomever he can at will.” He glanced at me, one eyebrow raised. “What about you sea dragons?”

“I don’t know. Mom was captured when I was very young, and there was only ever me and Dad. I love my dad to death, but he wasn’t very forthcoming about that sort of stuff.” And he certainly hadn’t encouraged exploration as I’d gotten older. Not that I would have, anyway. I’d spent most of my life hiding what I was from the world, pretending to be human when I was anything but. I had friends, but never close ones. Male friends, but never boyfriends.

“So what is the story behind your birth?” I continued. “Did your dad deliberately get a human pregnant?”

“Not deliberately. He was drunk, apparently, and she was just a warm body when he needed one.” He shrugged, a seemingly casual gesture that belied the deeper anger I could feel in him. “Human and dragon matings almost always result in a pregnancy, even if the male doesn’t wish it. No one really knows why.”

“So why mate with humans in the first place?”

“Because they can. It’s as simple as that.” He glanced in the rearview. “In times past, we draman were killed on birth.”

“What?”

“To keep the purity of the master race, you understand.” Again his voice was mocking. “It’s only in the last fifty years or so that the practice has been outlawed by the council.”

I raised my eyebrows. “There’s a council of dragons?”

He nodded. “It consists of the kings from the thirteen major cliques. They make the rules and clean up the problems.”

“So basically, they make sure the cliques continue to operate under the human radar?”

“Basically.”

“How come no one did anything about Marsten?”

“They might not even know about him. The council only concerns itself with problems on our continent, as far as I know.”

Well, if there was a European council, they were fucking falling down on the job.

He looked in the rearview mirror once again, and something in the way he did it sent unease prickling across my spine. “What’s wrong?”

“I think we’re being followed. Don’t look,” he added, just as I was about to.

“Cop?”

“Nope.”

The unease gave way to fear. “Do they look official?”

“Hard to say.”

I flipped down the sun visor and slid open the vanity mirror’s cover. It took several seconds to position the mirror so that I could see the traffic following, but then the big black car leapt into focus.

And though I couldn’t see the faces of the driver and the passenger, I knew what they were all the same.

Hunters.

Chapter Five

F
ear ran through me, stifling in its power, sucking away my breath and my strength. All I could do was stare at the car behind us—the car that held the men who had helped kill Egan, and who would probably kill me if I gave them too much trouble.

And all I could think of was getting away. Even though I couldn’t move, couldn’t even talk. I was frozen to the seat in fear of the men behind us. Men who had snatched away so much of my life.

I
couldn’t
let them catch me. Not again. Not when there was still so much to do.

“Destiny?” Trae said, his voice seeming a long way away.

I gulped down air and tried to rein in the tide of panic.

“Floor it,” I said, my voice a low tremor. “Get us out of here.”

“The minute I floor it, the people in that car will know we’ve spotted them. The situation could end up being a whole lot worse than it already is.”

“The situation will end up a whole lot worse anyway.” I had to grip the door to stop the urge to slide down the seat and keep out of their sight. They obviously knew I was here or they wouldn’t be following us. It was pointless, trying to hide.

Trae shot me a sharp look. “You know the people in the car?”

“Personally? No. But I know what they are, and I know just how far they’re willing to go. We need to get away from them.
Now
.”

That last word held an edge of panic, which Trae seemed to ignore as he said, “So who are they?”

“They’re the people who shot Egan. They’re dragon hunters.” And the scientists would be close by somewhere. If not in the car behind us, then somewhere near. They were
always
near.

He swore softly.

“Look, we need to get out of here,” I insisted. “We need to lose them.”

“I will, I will.”

“
Before
we get out of the built-up areas and onto open road. They hunt in packs. They always hunt in packs. There’ll be another car around—somewhere close.”

“You make them sound like animals,” he muttered. But nevertheless, he pressed the accelerator and the car gathered speed.

Not sharply, not enough to notice immediately, but enough to ease the clamoring of my nerves.

I looked in the vanity mirror. The big black car was still very much behind us. “Their car looks faster than ours.”

“It is.”

“Then what are we going to do if we can’t outrun them?”

“Outsmart them. You feel like breakfast?”

I blinked. “You can’t stop and eat breakfast at a time like this!”

“You tell me where in the rule book it says I can’t, and I’ll obey.”

“But—”

“I’m not a free-roaming thief for no reason, you know, so just trust the fact that I know a thing or two about getting away from people.”

His expression and voice might have been bland, but there was nothing bland about the look he cast my way. It was all dangerous, hungry male. Heat sizzled across my skin, followed by a rush of desire.

“What?” I said, voice suddenly breathless.

“Time to use the charms God and your parents gifted you with.”

“What charms in particular are we talking about?”

“That sexy body, of course.” Even as he said the words, his gaze skated downward, causing my pulse to flutter.

It sure as hell was a fine way to banish fear.

“To do what?”

The question came out breathy, and amusement crinkled the corners of his eyes.

“Make out.”

“I’m not making out with you.” Though I wanted to. Lord how I wanted to.

“Not me. The cook.”

“What?” Why did this man always leave me feeling I was three steps behind?

“Of the burger joint we’re going to stop at up ahead.”

“How do you know there’s a burger joint up ahead?”

“Because I’ve been this way before, and I always scout out localities.”

“When you’re planning a job, you mean?”

He shot me an amused look, neither confirming nor denying my accusation. “The place is open twenty-four hours. The early morning shift is one man, and he’s both the cook and waiter. You’re going to charm the pants off him.”

“No, I’m not.”

“Yes, you
are
. You’re going to make that man want you bad enough to take you out to his truck.”

“Where you’ll deck him and snatch said truck?”

“Precisely.”

“I’m not happy with this plan, I have to tell you.”

“Well, unless you got a better plan, this is the one we’re stuck with.”

“The car behind us will spot us leaving in the truck.”

“The car behind us will unfortunately have two flat tires by that time.”

“Why not do all four?”

“Four is trickier, and the chance of getting caught increases dramatically.”

I stared at him for a minute, then crossed my arms. But one glance in the mirror at our black shadow and the men within left me little in the way of options.

I blew out a breath. “What’s this cook look like?”

“Like a cook?”

“I’m not making out with a lecherous old man.”

“So you’d rather be caught by those behind us?”

No. I’d just rather come up with something else.

The burger joint turned out to be attached to a gas station, though the cobwebs draped over the pumps suggested they hadn’t been used in some time. The building itself was brick, and it was hard to say what color they were thanks to the years of grime coating them. The large windows that lined the front were decorated with Christmas lights that cheerfully flashed in the early morning sun, and a huge burger sign sat above the weather-worn entrance, flashing on and off intermittently.

The burger on that sign looked no more appealing than the place itself.

I sniffed. “I still don’t like this plan.”

“Sweetheart, we have no choice. They’re right up our asses.”

My gaze flickered to the mirror. The black car had stopped on the side of the road.

Great. Just great. I unbuckled the belt and gave in to the inevitable. “Okay, let’s get this over with.”

We climbed out of the car and walked over to the door. All the time the back of my neck prickled, and it was all I could do not to run.

They were watching.

They were
always
watching.

No matter what Egan or I or the kids did, they were there. Them and Marsten.

I shivered, and jumped a little when Trae touched a hand to my back. “In you go,” he said, guiding me through the door.

A little bell chimed as Trae closed the door, and a voice from the rear of the building called out, “Won’t be a moment, loves.”

I raised my eyebrows and looked at Trae. “Now, that’s the most feminine-sounding male voice I’ve heard in a long time.”

He frowned. “That it was.”

“Could it be the great planner got this one wrong?”

“I don’t get things wrong, sweetheart.”

“Call me that one more time and I’m going to stomp on your toes.”

He looked down. “Bare feet versus boots. Not so worried.”

“You obviously haven’t spent enough time looking at my feet.”

His gaze twinkled. “Most certainly not. There’s nicer things to look at than toes.”

Footsteps echoed as someone marched smartly up the hall to our right. Seconds later, a matronly looking woman with gray hair and a merry smile appeared behind the counter.

“Now, what can I get you young people?”

“Is old Harry here?” Trae asked.

“Nope. That bastard got sacked a month ago for pilfering the till. Me and Frank run the place now.”

“There goes the seduction plan,” I murmured cheerfully.

“Don’t suppose you do a traditional breakfast?” Trae said, cupping his hand under my elbow and leading me over to a table near the window.

“Depends what you mean by traditional,” she replied. “We do pancakes, waffles, and bacon and eggs.”

“One pancakes, one bacon and eggs, and two coffees, thanks.”

“The pancakes had better be for you, buddy boy,” I said, as the woman headed back out to the kitchen. “Otherwise there’s going to be words said.”

“You don’t have a sweet tooth?”

“Not when it comes to breakfast.” I slid into a booth seat and kept my back to the black car.

“How about we share the plates?” He slid in the booth opposite and crossed his arms on the table as he casually looked out the window. “There’s three men in that car.”

“Three?” A shiver ran through me. “There’s probably two hunters. The driver would be one of the scientists.”

He looked at me, eyebrow raised. “You make them sound like cowboys intent on drugging cattle.”

“They are. And we’re the cattle.”

He studied me for a moment, then shook his head. “I wish I’d known. I would have done something to try and get Egan out. And, in the process, the rest of you.”

I smiled. “I had the same thought when I was eighteen. I got caught.”

“I’m not eighteen, and I’m also a very good thief.”

“It wouldn’t have mattered.”

“So little confidence in my abilities,” he said, voice bland. “And yet here you are, trusting them.”

Because I had no other choice. I needed those codes, and I knew nothing about breaking into houses, let alone safes. I crossed my arms and stared out the window, watching the tufted grasses that lined the parking lot sway lightly in the breeze. Remembered wind of a different kind—a wind that howled and moaned through long, dark nights. A wind so cold it could kill if it touched bare skin. We’d gone to the Arctic to avoid them when we’d first escaped, but hadn’t stayed long. It had been far too cold for an air dragon to survive, despite Egan’s protestations that he was fine. So we’d looped around Iceland, and had come back through the North Atlantic, making our way down and around South America before swimming—or in Egan’s case, flying—back up to Mexico.

It had all been for naught, because they’d been waiting for us. And yet Egan had been so sure that they wouldn’t know about the villa. So how had they found us so quickly and easily?

Trae snapped his fingers in front of my face, and I jumped. “What?” I said, scowling at him.

“You were off in your thoughts again.” His gaze went from me to the car and back again. “Tell me, why do you think they killed Egan? If he was the only full-grown male, it makes no sense for them to get rid of him.”

“I think they considered him to be more dangerous than Mom or me, and he did start the fire that allowed us to escape.” Even if the fire wasn’t
his
. I shrugged. “I’m sure they were intending to keep his body and study him that way, but I foiled that by snatching him away.”

“I would have thought being able to control water was a greater threat than fire. Especially when you’re all being kept beside a loch containing a huge amount of freshwater.” He leaned back in the seat as the old woman walked over with two coffees.

“There you go, loves. Breakfast will be another five minutes or so.”

“Thanks,” I said, giving her a smile.

Trae waited until she’d walked back to the kitchen, then added, “If a sea dragon
can
control any sort of water, why did you never call the loch?”

I grimaced. “I can’t tell you why my mother never did, because I just don’t know. In my case—”I blew out a breath. “I did
try
, but the loch didn’t answer. I thought at first it was because I was a half breed, that maybe I simply didn’t have the strength to make the water obey over any distance. When we finally realized they were giving us a drug that restricted our abilities and we managed to wean ourselves off it, I could have tried, but then there were the kids to worry about.”

He frowned. “Why would they be a worry?”

“Because while I might have been able to call freshwater, I can’t control its fury or its path like I can with seawater. Carli and a couple of the others couldn’t swim—I asked them. If I’d called the loch, they would have drowned.”

“Ah. A nasty situation, then.”

“To put it mildly,” I agreed. “What are we going to do about the car and the people within it?”

He picked up his coffee and took a sip. “First priority is to deflate the tires. Then we can ditch our car once we’re free and get a new one.”

I wrapped my hands around my coffee mug, but it did little to warm them. “You’re pretty free and easy with other people’s cars, aren’t you?”

He shrugged. “Part of the joy of being a thief is an easy contempt for other people’s belongings.”

“Does that include the girlfriends of other men?”

His sudden grin was so sexy, so filled with heat, that an answering flame rose from deep within me.

“I am
not
my father’s son. Not in that regard, anyway.”

“So you’re a one-woman man?”

“I will be, when I find the right woman.”

I raised an eyebrow. “So you’re totally unattached right now?”

His gaze met mine, and something in those bright depths sent a shiver through my soul. This man was hunting, too.

“Currently, I’m single,” he said softly. “But you never know when that might change.”

Another tremor ran through me, and I wasn’t sure whether it was anticipation or fear. I pulled my gaze from his and tried to calm the idiotic racing of my pulse. “How do you intend to get out of the diner without being seen?”