Rion (32 page)

At the sight of Rion and Marisa, the dragons bellowed and shot fire down the corridor. Rion yanked her around a corner and
into a room and slammed the door.

The empty office looked much like those he remembered during his father’s rule, with one major difference. All the computer
systems were gone.

Gut churning, he hefted the Unari weapon he’d confiscated. “I know those dragons.”

“They tried to kill us.”

“They were once part of the king’s elite guard.”

“They’re insane from the pain. They probably didn’t even recognize you.”

“I know.” His fingers tightened on the weapon. He could barely say the words. “But I wish I didn’t have to kill men who taught
me how to fish and hunt.”

“Maybe you don’t have to. Kiss me.”

“What?”

“Maybe I can calm them.”

He swept Marisa into his arms. Going from passion to danger and back was a difficult transition. But if he could save those
crazed dragons…

He supposed his ability to function at all was a measure of the partnership that had grown between them. Marisa kept him grounded.
He recalled how she’d fought beside him. She’d obliterated several Unari with her dragon fire. Saved him from the pain so
he could fight back. Without her, he would have failed.

Marisa was no longer special to him just because of her talents. She was special to his heart. If she died today, he didn’t
know if he could go on…

Sweet Goddess, keep her safe,
he prayed.

Together, they’d come this far. Together, they would see this through.

Losing her… was not an option.

Gently, he caressed her cheek, took the time to lock gazes. Stars! She was a beautiful woman, both inside and out. She didn’t
complain. She didn’t back down. She was his equal in every way but physical strength, and she more than made up for that with
her intellect and telepathy skills. But it was her heart he cherished most. Her willingness to take on his cause, to risk
her life for his people.

They were a team. Fate had been good to him. He was proud to know her. Proud to love her.

He loved her.

He wished he had time to cherish her properly. Time to proclaim his feelings and tell her just how much she meant to him.
But their plan depended upon timing and surprise. Conversation would have to wait.

He slipped his hands under her tunic and played with her full breasts. This time, he skimmed his fingers over every part of
her quivering flesh except her nipples, letting her anticipate where he’d touch next. When her tongue slipped into his mouth,
he wished they had the entire night.

After a few minutes of kissing, his breath grew ragged, his erection ached, and he forced himself to stop and pull down her
shirt. Goddess knew, if he kept going, he might simply sink into her soft heat and forget his mission.

He jerked his mouth free. Her eyes were wide and dilated. Clouded as if lost in another world.

He forced himself to talk about the mission. “I have to go.”

She just looked at him. Licked her bottom lip. “We are going to do more than kiss, aren’t we?”

“Count on it. I’ll be back as soon as I can,” he murmured. He could barely tear himself from her.

She said nothing to stop him from leaving but closed her hands into fists.

When he headed for the door, cracked it, and saw Lex and Erik waiting outside in the hall, she still hadn’t spoken. But the
moment Rion slipped through, she was right behind him.

Rion turned back. “I asked you to stay here.”

“If we’re going to die, I’d rather we were together.” She raised her chin. She didn’t sound frightened, just determined. “Besides,
the safest place for me in this entire building has got to be right next to you.”

“But—”

She tensed. “I’m not staying behind.”

Lex chuckled softly. Even Erik grinned.

They were about to face the worst the Unari had to offer, and Marisa intended to accompany them. Her courage amazed him. In
truth, it was good to know she was beside him. Relatively uninjured. Still breathing.

He glanced around the corner. The two chained dragons leaned against the wall, eyeing them with glazed expressions.

“Kevar. Sugin.” Rion stepped in front of them with his weapon held out to one side. “I’m here to free you.”

He dropped his weapon to the floor, and unarmed, he slowly walked forward. The dragons shifted and blew smoke, but they didn’t
try to roast him again. Progress.

“Easy, guys.” Rion kept walking, making his movements slow and deliberate. “You remember me, don’t you? I’m Rion. Kevar, you
used to take me fishing. And Sugin, you taught me how to sail. I’ve been away for a long time, but I’ve come back to free
you.” Rion strode right up to the dragons and stopped. “I need to use my knife to slice away those locks. Hold still. Easy.”

The dragons breathed hard but didn’t try to stomp him to death. Praying his words had gotten through, he slid out his knife
and placed the blade into the toggle. The lock snapped.

Both dragons stepped forward. Sugin nuzzled him. Rion wanted to stroke him but couldn’t find an unbroken scale that wouldn’t
cause the dragon more pain. “Lex, these men need platinum and to have a doctor see to their wounds.”

The dragons shuffled down the hall. Rion picked up his weapon.

Rion braced for danger and kept his voice down to a whisper. “Don’t move. Any of you. I want one quick look.” He took five
steps forward, reached for the door that led into the octagon chamber. And turned the knob.

A dragonshaper’s character is his fate.

—K
ING
A
RTHUR
P
ENDRAGON

R
ion opened the door of the octagon chamber, and the sounds of dragon moans, grunts, hissing, and shrieks made Marisa flinch.
They had found the Tyrannizer. She peeked over Rion’s shoulder to see that the Unari had chained dragons to shiny golden walls
that were now stained with blood from brutal whippings. In the very center of the torture chamber, the Tyrannizer whirred
in a constant drone, the air rippling around it.

The Tyrannizer was just as Rion had described from his vision. About the size of ten men, the torture device sat on a raised
dais, a writhing mass of cold circuitry. Here was the center of Unari power, the machine that absorbed the dragons’ pain,
then broadcast that pain to the world.

Conditions inside the chamber were so disturbing she’d never forget them. A dragon’s shriek curdled her blood. The room must
have been soundproofed to disguise its location or to avoid upsetting Unari workers. If the sounds of torture weren’t bad
enough, the smells of blood and fear were horrifying. Covering her mouth with her hand, she stifled a gasp. Looking into that
room was like a glimpse into hell. This atrocity had to end.

Rion shut the door, but the terrible memory stayed with her. And the look in Rion’s eyes would haunt her for even longer.

Erik slumped against a wall, his shoulders sagging. Head down, he didn’t look at anyone.

Lex’s complexion had gone ghost white. He, too, turned away and brushed aside a tear. “We have to stop this madness.”

“Agreed.” Rion’s voice cracked. “Gather half the men in this hallway. The others need to find a second entrance around back.
Await my signal.”

Erik nodded and straightened, squaring his shoulders, visibly steeling himself for battle.

“What signal?” Lex asked.

“You’ll know when you hear it.” Rion slipped his arm over Marisa’s shoulder. “We have work to do.”

“I don’t know if I can,” she whispered as he took her back into the office they’d just left and shut the door behind them.
She stood near the door, trying to regroup. They’d been gone less than a minute, but it seemed an eternity. Her stomach wouldn’t
stop twisting and cramping. If she’d had any food in her, she would have lost it.

Rion drew her farther into the room, away from the door. “If we enter that chamber as men, the Unari will whip the dragons
until they breathe fire and burn us. If we enter as dragons, the Tyrannizer’s pain will enslave us.”

“You think I don’t know that?” She crossed her arms over her stomach and rocked back and forth. “Was your father—”

“I don’t know. I couldn’t see all the dragons.” Rion didn’t rush her. God knew, he must want to. Every second they delayed
was another second of agony for all his people. Yet he took the time to be gentle. “You and I will help them. But we aren’t
going to make love only for their sakes. There’s something I want you to know.”

She could barely focus on his words. She could no longer actually smell the blood, but the stench lingered in her nostrils
and the dragon screams resounded in her head.

Rion cupped her chin, lifted her head until their eyes met. His face, deadly serious, wasn’t stern or harsh. Oddly, his expression
was tender.

“I would have preferred to have told you this while sailing through the Hani Islands, where the sand is warm pink and the
water a deep turquoise… but I might not get another chance.”

“I can’t take any more surprises.” She didn’t want to talk. She didn’t want to kiss. Or make love. She wanted to curl up into
a ball and sleep. She wanted to forget this waking nightmare.

“I love you.”

She jerked her head up in astonishment. “What?”

His expression softened. His eyes warmed. “I love you.”

Her mouth dropped open and her eyes widened. Her body and mind were overloaded. Shocked. He’d just said he’d loved her. And
every fiber of him vibrated with sincerity.

“I know it’s not the right time.” He cupped his hands and ran them over her shoulders and up and down her arms, chasing away
her chills. “But I wanted you to know… in case…”

In case they died.

A primal spark kindled. He loved her, and she was so not ready to die. They had to fight back. She had to snap out of her
shocked numbness and feed the flame.

But no kiss was going to blanket all the pain in that hellish octagon chamber. Even if she could dull the terrible memory
and forget the blood and the screams, even if she could function somewhat normally, she still couldn’t broadcast Rion’s words—not
at the same time as she maintained her glow. She could transmit either emotion or words, but not both.

For his plan to work, they had to take out the Tyrannizer, and the dragons all over Honor had to revolt as one. To do that,
she had to do more than stop the pain. She had to send a message, too.

She stood straighter, hands on her hips. “It’s time you told me your plan.”

“We’re going to make love.”

“And?” She sensed there was more. A lot more.

“You’ll transmit your glow and stop the dragons’ pain.”

She shook her head. “You know that’s not enough. In order for every dragon on Honor to simultaneously revolt as one and turn
on their captors, we need to send a worldwide message.”

Eyes fierce, Rion shot her a steady gaze. “I’ll take care of the message.”

“But you aren’t telepathic—”

“All dragonshapers are telepathic. When you send out your glow, I’ll link my message to it.”

“Wait a second. For me to transmit the glow worldwide, I need high-intensity emotion. As close as I can get to orgasm.” Marisa
scowled. “I have to be human to send that emotion. You have to be in dragon form to be telepathic.”

“That’s correct.”

“But a human and a dragon can’t possibly make love. It’s anatomically impossible.”

“I’m going to dragonshape—but only a little.”

“What!” Partial shifting? Was it even possible? A glimmer of what he planned scared her from the top of her head right down
to her toes. She looked at him and tried to gauge if he’d lost his mind.

“We’ll make love,” he explained, “and while you dull the pain, I’ll shift some of my cells—just enough so I can tap into my
dragon telepathy and tack on my message to your emotional glow. In theory, the dragons’ pain will end, and they’ll also receive
my full attack plan.”

“In theory?”

“No one’s ever tried a partial shift,” Rion admitted. He placed his hands on her shoulders. “But I believe I can hold on long
enough to send the message.”

He intended to turn into a dragon while they made love. No wonder he hadn’t told her his plan. If he couldn’t maintain control,
he’d morph from human all the way to dragon while he was inside her—and rip her apart.

Oh… God.

She wanted to believe he could control a partial shift, but panic threatened to shut her down. She was on the verge of laughing
and crying hysterically.

Gunshots fired outside. Men shouted, and skimmers roared off into battle, their engines roaring.

“I don’t know if I can do this.”

“You can.”

“Don’t tell me what I can do,” she said.

He took both her hands in his. “I’m sorry. I should never have said that. You deserve better.”

Marisa pulled her hands from his. “Were you telling me the truth when you said you loved me?”

“Yes.”

“If I’m going to risk my life, I have the right to know…”

Without hesitation, he swept her against his chest. “I love you so much”—his voice broke—“that if there were a way to send
you away to safety right now, I would.”