Stone Guardian (4 page)

“I thought you were a fierce witch, Nicolette.” He pulled away from her and sat up. Swinging his legs over the edge of the bed, he rose. “Guess I was wrong. Perhaps I should find one of the enchantresses you mentioned.”

“But-but…wait…I found the friend who led you to the old man’s house, didn’t I?” she whined. “Give me a little time and I’ll fix this so you won’t need the maps to find the gems.”

A quick succession of knocks on his bedroom door halted any further conversation with Nicolette. He stalked across the room and yanked it open. “What?”

The new dragon he’d recently accepted into the Tarasque clan arched a brow. His impertinence rankled, but with the loss of several dragons in recent battles he needed to restore his numbers. Of course, once he had more than enough beasts to beckon he would eat this one. The thought made Drago smile.

“There has been a sighting of the Gargoyle who’s allied with the Black Dragon in Ontario. Reports have come in that he’s heading east and he isn’t alone.” His henchman leaned on the adjacent wall and crossed his arms.

Drago rested on the edge of the door, blocking the young dragons view. “Jax, right?”

Jax nodded.

“Listen, you little shit. This is my world, and you’re allowed to breathe in it because I say so. When I say I don’t want to be disturbed, fucking remember that and wait patiently until I make myself available. If that’s all you got, take the initiative and get me more damn information. You want to make it in this coterie, you have to work for it. If you can’t handle the pressure then I suggest you remember this. There may come a night you drift off to sleep and never wake up. Understood?”

Jax tilted his head and curled his lips back slowly to show all his teeth. “Careful Drago, you’re not as young as you used to be. There are already rumblings about your, ah, leadership skills. Don’t get me wrong, I have no urge to direct anyone, but perhaps you should be the one worried about whether or not you’ll wake up in the near future. But hey, that’s just my observation, and thanks for the heads-up.” He pushed off the wall and sauntered down the hall.

Drago watched the arrogant fucker stroll down the passage. Nicolette’s soft footsteps alerted him that she had moved behind him. He felt her palms slide up his back and around his chest.

“Watch that dragon, Drago. He has a powerful aura and could make a great ally or a dangerous enemy.” She kissed his shoulder.

He scoffed. “That blue dragon will make a nice celebratory meal when I am in command of the tribes.”

* * * *

She was surrounded by darkness. Everywhere she turned something blocked her escape. Bright orange eyes stared out at her from the shadows. Ember stopped moving and reached for her weapon only to discover it was no longer there. She glanced down at her body and realized she was not in uniform. Instead, her street clothes were ripped and her exposed skin was bloodied. A cold wind wafted across her and goose bumps rose up on her arms. The circle of light she stood in started to shrink and she did a little skip dance to stay under the glow of the street lamp. Instinctively, she knew she was safe as long as she kept under its dim illumination. She stuck the toe of her shoe close to the line that kept the dark at bay and something growled.

Despite the cold, a bead of sweat rolled down her neck and between her breasts. Ember swallowed and moved closer to the edge of her diminishing circle. She was a cop trained to protect herself and others. Whatever hid out of sight she would face down. Fear was not an option. She would not allow fright to paralyze her again. Slowly she stretched out her arm, tapping down the terror that threatened to tear her from inside out. Just a little farther and she would brush the edge of the dark. The snarls increased and harmonized, telling her that more than one monster waited for her. Her heart rate doubled and she shuffled her feet, inching closer toward what she had no idea, probably insanity. She broke the barrier and something cold and smooth brushed her palm.

Ember sat up in bed, gulping in deep lungful’s of air. She placed a hand over her stampeding heart and willed it to slow down. Closing her mouth she breathed through her nose and bent her legs to pull her knees in close to her chest. She glanced around the room to get her bearings. Bits and pieces of her bad dream fell into place, and she slid her hands over her shoulders to massage the tight muscles in her neck. A quick look at the window and she was reminded that she’d closed the curtains against the sun to get some sleep. She groped the wall behind the nightstand until she located the lamp switch and flicked it on. Blessed light filled the room, banishing the darkness. She straightened her legs and swung them around before hastily slipping them back on the mattress.

With care she anchored herself on the bed and slowly leaned to the side to peer over the edge. When nothing rose up to face her she sighed with relief and jumped to the floor. Walking to the window, she threw the curtains back. City lights brightened the landscape as far as the eye could see, casting beams into her hotel room and reminding her that she was not alone. She stretched and slid the sheers across the pane to block out the glare from the neighboring building. After a quick riffle through the bag Timur had left with her, she yanked out clothes. Pushing the nightmare into the deeper recesses of her mind, she dropped her things onto the bed and headed toward the bathroom.

Refreshed from her shower, she stepped into her room and stopped cold. Timur was dressed, but she was sure it wasn’t something that came out of that duffle she’d just gone through. The tailored suit he wore highlighted the breadth of his shoulders, and its charcoal-gray color seemed to make the shade of his hair blaze against the darker lapel. She tilted her head and stared at the damp strands that curled at his nape, secured by a length of leather cord. He turned to face her and smiled, which softened his sharp features into an almost boyish appearance. His perfectly knotted burgundy tie enhanced his look, where she was certain it would have detracted from anyone else with his hair coloring.

“Do I meet with your approval, Ember?” His voice held a touch of mirth.

“Where the hell did you get the suit, and why on this green earth are you dressed as if you just stepped out of a modeling shoot?” She tucked the end of her towel deeper under the other.

He shrugged. “I thought we would have dinner first. Maybe take a stroll around the park before we leave.”

Every time she thought she had him figured out, the man did something new to confuse her. “Don’t you have something important to take care of? I mean, you gave me this whole spiel about danger and getting things done.” She lowered her voice to mimic his.

“What can I say? They’re witches and I’m really not that much in a hurry to get in bed with one, if you know what I mean.”

Laughter burst through her lips and she covered her mouth to contain it. A few moments later she lowered her hand. “Is big, bad Timur afraid of a couple of women?”

Still containing the giggles, she watched him raise his eyebrows in shock. “If that’s your idea of a joke you were right to laugh. Sorry to burst your bubble but I don’t scare that easily. I’ll deal with the coven when I get to Salem.” He waved a hand. “Trust me when I tell you they won’t be that anxious to see me, either. In the meantime, at least have dinner with me. Then we’ll hit the road, or in our case, the sky.”

“Okay, but answer me one question first.”

“Really, can’t we have a nice meal? Why does everything have to be a negotiation with you?”

She pinched the towel together when it threatened to fall and continued to look at him.

“Fine. What do you want to know now, and no, I’m not a vampire. They died out eons ago.”

“I know that,” she stressed before adding, “Kirill told me. What I want to know is how you have a suit and…” Ember leaned in and sniffed. “If I’m not mistaken, are freshly showered?”

“I have a long term lease on a few rooms in this establishment and an account with one of the best tailors in town. One call and I can have as many suits delivered as I need.”

“Your tailor doesn’t do me any good, and I have nothing to wear for dinner unless you are talking room service.”

“Yeah—ah—no. I took the liberty of getting your size from Synda when I called Kirill. Did I mention that my tailor is married to one hell of a seamstress?” He moved to the side where the shimmer of beaded fabric drew her gaze. “The seamstress finished up something she’d been working on.”

“What are you up to, Timur?”

“The hope that I will eventually get into your panties.”

That statement sent illicit images of the two of them in various sexual positions rolling through her head like a movie. “It’s not like you would have to try hard.” She spoke under her breath.

He snapped his head up and narrowed his eyes. “Sorry, I missed that.”

Ember picked up the outfit. The soft material felt like liquid in her palm and sparkled under the light. Carefully, she held it up. The multicolored silk was darkest at the bottom in a deep crimson, and as she followed the lines of the dress up it lightened into red then a deep rose before rolling into a lighter pink. The strapless top was a light blush. The sheer quality was exquisite, and in all her years she’d only ever seen anything like it in those exclusive boutiques she didn’t dare enter because she lived on a cop’s salary. She hugged the material close to her, and did a little hopping in place. “I’ll go get dressed.” Ember spun on her heel and trotted the few steps to the bathroom.

“You forgot your shoes! You might want to hurry, too. We have dinner reservations in half an hour,” he called after her.

Chapter Four

Tree limbs swayed in the light breeze and the sunken lights above them made the space under the overhang brighter than the dim restaurant they exited. Their driver for the evening waited at the bottom of the stairs with the vehicle’s rear door open.

He touched his forehead and spoke. “Pleasant meal, Mr. Fortescue? I trust your other business has treated you well?”

Timur urged Ember toward the luxury automobile by dropping his hand to the small of her back. “It has, Denton. Thanks for picking us up.” He stopped at the car door. “We need to return to the hotel for Ms. Tituba’s things. I’m afraid my stay this time is only a layover. We have a flight to catch.”

“Yes, of course. Will you be returning soon then?” Denton dipped his head. A bead of sweat dripped from his temple.

“Yes, I trust you’ve taken care of my holdings here well.” He narrowed his eyes and took a good look at his assistant. For the first time Timur noticed how antsy the man was. Denton’s eyes darted from one point to another, never really focusing, and he couldn’t keep his hands still.

A knot of uneasiness formed between Timur’s shoulders. He’d learned long ago to follow his instincts. He gripped the top of the open door and leaned into the back seat. “How would you like to take a stroll through the park before we go back to the hotel, Ember?”

She tilted her head and drew her thin brows together, but climbed out of the car.

Timur glanced at the person that had been his right hand man in Ontario for a number of years. “Denton, on second thought, it is such a beautiful night that I think my lady and I will take a walk.” He pushed the car door shut.

Denton stuck a finger in the collar of his shirt. “I thought you had to catch a flight.”

“We can always catch another one. Why don’t you go ahead and take the town car back? If Ms. Tituba gets tired of walking I can always hail a cab.”

His assistant opened his mouth then closed it, bobbing his head in a succession of quick nods. “Of course.”

“Ember?” He held out his hand and she wrapped her fingers around his. Before he turned he saw Denton lift his cell phone to his ear but he hadn’t heard the phone ring.

Without a second thought to what his aide was doing, he allowed Ember to tug at his arm. He turned to take in the sight of her. The dress clung to her curves and gave him clear view of her unmarred back. Rhinestones placed at strategic points in the material glistened under the street lamps with every sway of her hips. She’d piled her braids into some kind of bun on top of her head. Ember spun on her stilettos and lifted her hands. “Come on, slow poke. We have to get airborne. I have a lot of questions between here and Salem.” Her laughter tinkled and his unease lessened listening to the sound.

He jogged to close the gap between them, sliding a hand around her waist. Caution made him pull her to a stop and spin her around. Timur studied the area behind her. She smiled and his gaze was drawn to her mouth. While they’d dined he’d watched her lips, and all he could think about was kissing her. Hell, he was jealous of the utensils she’d used to eat her meal.

He pressed his mouth to Ember’s, the sweetness of the wine they drank flowed over his taste buds as he traced her lips with his tongue. She pushed up against his body, yanking her hand free of his grasp to wrap her arms around his neck. Freeing his hair from its tie, she combed her fingers through his locks.

Timur skated his knuckles along her spine to wrap his palms around the generous ass that he’d been admiring. The material of her dress bunched up between his fingers in his haste to get his hands beneath the smooth fabric. He dropped tiny kisses along her jaw, and nuzzled the sensitive spot blow her ear.

“
Je te veux
.” He traced the shell of her ear with his tongue before continuing. “
Je déclare que tu es à moi, afin d'assurer que personne n'oserait réfutez que tu m'appartiens.
” The words flowed, surprising even him. It had been so long since he’d even felt the need to utter words of seduction in his native language.