Claimed by Desire (7 page)

Rafe thought about his conundrum as shadows and eerie streams of light skipped across the ceiling, lulling them to sleep.

*

Rafe woke up a short time later. He could feel a pair of eyes watching him and a gut clench told him they weren’t Misty’s. He sat up and scanned each corner of their cramped cave.

There, in the glowing light of the waterfall, was a face. A petite little face, with big blue eyes, chubby cheeks and a heart-shaped mouth. Her hair was a golden aura, framing her face, glowing like the sun. She was stunningly beautiful, but Rafe knew better than to be distracted by her beauty.

Mermaids, the female merfolk, were descendants of the Sirens of Greek mythology. They lured sailors into their home harbors with the promise of lust and love. Distracted by their flawless beauty, the sailors inadvertently crashed their ships on treacherously rocky shores, only to be swamped by hoards of merfolk.

It’s not that merfolk were evil—Rafe knew better than to think any creatures’ race could be entirely good or entirely evil—they were simply opportunistic. Gold from ships during pirating days funded underwater castles and villages that’d make Poseidon jealous. Merfolk were able to use those stolen riches to trade with Draco clans and werewolf packs for wider boundaries at the turn of the century. Now, though, with the shortage of gold found in crates on ships passing through, they’d become particular to certain types of shipments.

Diamonds and weapons, mostly.

As Rafe cleared his throat and checked to make sure that he and Misty were properly covered, the mermaid retreated into the waterfall. All Rafe could see was the mischievous curve of her lips. She looked like she wanted to say something.

“What do you want?” He kept his voice low. “I don’t have anything of value in here.” He nodded at the half-open duffel at his side. “But if you insist on looking, you may lose a fin.”

The mermaid pressed over the edge of the cave, letting the water hit her shoulders and roll down her back. She was topless, her long layers of slick straight hair barely covering the swell of her breasts, though Rafe didn’t seem to have a problem keeping his eyes were they belonged…he figured it had a ton to do with the angel lying beside him, making adorable mewing sounds in her sleep.

“I don’t want your bag, Draco,” the mermaid sang. “I came to reveal what you seek.”

Rafe squinted through the dark to judge the sincerity of her eyes. They were as clear and blue as the water cascading around her.

“How would a mermaid like you know what I seek?”

She smiled playfully and spun circles in the dirt with her finger. “A little birdie told me. You’re looking for the Draco stone.”

“Doesn’t your kind collect sparkly things?” Although the cave was hard to peer through, Rafe couldn’t miss the crushed diamonds sparkling on her skin or the chunks of raw rocks clinging to her silky strands of hair. “Why would I believe that you know a lick about the Draco stone? Or that you’d share that information with me if you had it?”

“Oh, dragon, don’t be so defensive. I’m not to blame for your scars.” She batted heavy blue lashes that sparkled like they were coated in diamond dust. “I’m Nerissa, a daughter of the sea. I mean you and your rider no harm.”

“She’s not my…well, I guess…” Damn it, Rafe didn’t even know what to call Misty. He shook his head, and scraped his fingers over the letters branded into his chest. When he realized Nerissa was staring at him, platinum eyebrows raised sky-high, he said, “Never mind. It’s complicated.”

“Oh, this is better than I thought. Is she your mistress?” Nerissa plopped her chin in the heart of her crossed arms. “I’m listening.”

“Say what you came for and get the hell out of here.”

“Does your rider know about her?”

“Enough,” Rafe snapped.

“Fine.” She sighed. “Are you familiar with the rock wall on the most eastern part of the isle?”

“No.” His gaze shot to Misty, who’d mumbled something and turned over, facing him. How far had she traveled on this part of the isle? Had she explored merfolk territory with empaths before? “This is my first, and hopefully last, trek into your territory.”

“I suppose that makes sense. I feel your energy waning as we speak. How many hours do you have left…do you even know?”

“That’s none of your business,” he whispered, the letters on his chest burning hotter by the second. “I’m getting damned tired of your questions. Will we find the Draco stone on the rock wall or is that another one of your distractions?”

“Not
on it
, per se, but you’ll find it there.”

What the hell did Nerissa and her merfolk school have to gain from all this? “Why are you so eager for us to find it? Seems to me your kind would want to hide it and gamble it away, or bargain with it at tomorrow’s boundary meeting.”

Her heart lips squeezed into a pout. “See, Mr. Dying Dragon, contrary to what you might think, we didn’t steal your stone from Castle Arcane. We didn’t bring it here to our rock wall. The last thing we want is to start a war. I’m simply putting it in the right hands before someone accuses us of treachery we did not commit.”

That was exactly what would happen if Rafe took the stone back to Queen Elixa and reported where they’d found it. As Nerissa started to pull out of the cave and back into the water, Rafe wondered if they’d really find the Draco stone in the wall…or if this whole conversation was meant to lead them into a trap.

“You should know,” Rafe said, leaning closer. “If you’re lying to me, I’ll blow mermaid fishing season wide-open.”

“You can thank me when you find the stone, if you’re alive that long,” Nerissa countered, as Misty stirred and started to wake. “But what I
really
want to know is why you haven’t told your little mistress that you’re about to die.”

Before Rafe could put the fishy temptress in her place, Nerissa pushed off the ledge and was gone. After a slapping sound that could’ve only been her tail fin hitting the lake, Misty shot up at Rafe’s side.

Chapter Six

M
isty shot sideways glances through the dark. “Is everything okay?”

“Everything’s fine.” How much had she heard?

“I was having the strangest dream,” she said quickly, as if she had to recall the details before they vanished. “We were falling through the sky, but not like before, when the werewolves were chasing us. We were falling because you were teaching me. You said I could fly better on my own.”

“That’s some dream.” Rafe handed Misty her sweater and jeans, though it was a damn shame to cover up such perfection. “You hiding a set of wings somewhere?”

“It felt so real. I was falling fast.” She stared beyond the glowing streams of the waterfall. “And right when I got the hang of it, right when I started to soar, you dropped to the ground like a stone. It was almost like you gave me your wings. Weird.” She hesitated, thinking. “I woke up to the sound of something hitting the lake. I was confused at first…I thought it was you.”

“The sound you heard was the slapping of a mermaid fin on the lake.”

That seemed to snap her out of it. The last thing Rafe needed was her empath talents kicking in before he was ready to tell her the truth himself. He
would
drop like a stone, and land six feet underground…as soon as he knew Misty was free from Feralon. He could accept the fact that he was going to die—he could…
really
—as long as he knew Misty would live to be a graying old woman, surrounded by her future family.

“A fin?” She whipped around. “How do you know?”

“A mermaid peeked in while you were sleeping. Said the Draco stone is either in, or on the rock wall on the eastern ridge.”

Misty’s brow puzzled. “How—”

“I haven’t the foggiest idea how she knows, or if she’s even telling the truth.” He paused. “Do you still feel something pulling you to this side of the isle?”

She crinkled her nose and rubbed her hand over her heart. “Yeah, but I’m picking up something else, too…it feels like I’m anxious for something, though it’s not coming from me.” Her penetrating gaze made his palms itch. “Does that make sense?”

“Nerissa didn’t seem anxious….”
Damn it,
Misty was picking up on what his body was dishing out.

“Nerissa?” Misty’s voice piqued. She must’ve known more about mermaids and their lustful ways than Rafe thought.

“How could I even think about another woman when I’ve got you at my side?” Rafe dipped a finger between Misty’s breasts, savoring the feel of her silky soft skin. “Rest assured, she was the most hideous creature I’ve ever laid eyes on.”

“Uh-huh,” Misty said, and closed her eyes, letting her head rest on her shoulder. “Better be careful what you start, Rafe.” She pulled out his finger and suckled it into her mouth, starting a war between his brain and his lap. “We don’t have time for another go-round.”

“You’re right.” And damn it, he took his finger back.

“We’ve got nothing to lose. We might as well follow her tip.”

*

Misty straddled Rafe’s back, her heels brushing his flanks. Even with his wings tucked beneath him, Rafe had to crouch in the cave. Inch by inch, he shuffled toward the waterfall then bounded off the edge, through the curtain of water and into the night sky.

Wings reaching full breadth, Rafe glided through the air and dipped low. Just above the water he flattened out, catching a smooth draft of wind. He hovered above the lake, low enough to see ribbons of glowing water waving beneath them.

“What’s that?” She leaned over his side, peering into the crystal blue of the lake.

Rafe nosed up, then let his body ripple, flicking his tail. Just like a fin.

“Merfolk?” Misty couldn’t believe her eyes. She’d met one once during an expedition around the Isle of Feralon by boat. Although she couldn’t pass the rock wall to get into the lake, a mermaid had perched there, beckoning the empaths on her team closer. Misty had definitely never seen them the way they were now—in their element.

The ribbons of light fanning off their tails were like the Northern Lights underwater. Brush strokes of blue and green and orange fanned behind them as if by simply passing through it, the merfolk somehow split the light shooting through the waves like a prism.

“They’re amazing,” she said, watching colors of the rainbow swirl against one another on the lake’s glassy canvas. “I had no idea…look at the colors flowing off their tails. It’s like they’re painting…”

Rafe gave a snort as he rode hard, closing in on the crescent moon shaped rock wall. He landed on the narrow stretch of wall with a thud and closed his wings around him.

Leaving Rafe in dragon form, Misty dismounted and walked the length of the wall, searching high and low for signs of the stone. Although she didn’t have the foggiest idea what she was looking for, she could sense they were close. Could almost feel the energy of the stone vibrating wavelengths of air like a rope, tugging her closer.

She closed her eyes, letting ripples of seeking energy flow from her body like tentacles. Within seconds, she picked up Rafe’s energy. A faint twinge of weakness emerged beneath his aura of strength and dominance. It was like a chink, a tender spot, in his normally powerful armor.

Mustering every last ounce of energy she had, Misty pushed her mental feelers past Rafe, searching along the nooks and crannies of the rock wall.

Dark waves of energy pulsed near the base of the rock wall ahead of her. It appeared in her mind like a charcoal-black dust cloud, spinning just above the ground. Her eyes flipped open and she ran to the spot where waves of power radiated onto the walkway. There, where the wall met the chunky stone path, was a small alcove carved into the rock near the base. She knelt down and spotted a pile of rocks filling the gap, each one as dull and gray as the next.

Pulling a few out, Misty realized the Draco stone could be any of them.

“Which one is it?” she asked. Surely Rafe would know what their sacred stone looked like.

Rafe bounded to her side and nudged her arm with his snout.

“Which one?” She tossed out a few more at his taloned feet. “Help me find it.”

With a snort, Rafe shook his head.

Misty couldn’t explain how she knew—the pinch in her gut, the weak strumming of her heart, maybe?—but she did.
Rafe didn’t have the energy to shift back and forth between his Draco and dragon form.

If he shifted back now to help her find it, he may not be able to shift back and fly them across the isle. She was on her own.

The more stones she removed from the alcove and piled at their feet, the more Misty realized they all looked exactly the same.

Misty sat back and stared at the pile of rocks. Thought back to something Queen Elixa had said:
You were different from the start…able to pick up more than hints of energy. You have the ability to harness it.

Doubtful as hell, Misty closed her eyes and opened herself up to the energy swirling around her. Something seemed to pierce the palm of her hand, quick and hard. Like a rod of electricity that hits the ground and jolts back to the sky, the energy that sparked into Misty’s palm shot back into the alcove, pulling her down to the ground with it.

Tethered to an energy source more powerful than she’d ever known, Misty thrust her arm deeper and deeper into the pit, until a large stone, hotter and rounder than the others, seemed to snap into her hand. Powerful energy radiated from the stone, rippling through her hand, her shoulder, her chest. It flowed like a waterfall through her body, full and fast.

Holy shit, Queen Elixa was right.
The stone was drawn to her like a magnet. She really could harness their energy. If that was true, what else could she do with it?

“I think I got it,” Misty said as her fingers curled around its smooth edges. She pretended not to feel when Rafe nudged her rear in delight.

As she removed the gem from its rock prison, Misty was blown back by an energy wave that seemed to claw its way into her body and root deep in her stomach. She could feel the energy building, expanding and glowing inside her. She felt…strong. Incredibly strong, actually. Like she had the driving force of the Draco race behind her, spurring her on.

She eyed the gem curiously as it glowed from aqua to evergreen, radiating heat into her hand. That’s when it hit her: the Draco stone contained the power and strength of the entire race. No wonder it needed to be recovered before it fell into the wrong hands.

And now it was flowing through her—the pure, magical life source of the Dracos.

She clutched the stone tight and stood at Rafe’s side. She’d been wondering how they were going to make it back to Draco territory in a night without stopping to rest. It took two days to reach the far side of the isle. One day to return wasn’t enough time and they both knew it.

Unless Misty possessed a raw, unharnessed energy that could fuel Rafe’s ride.

“Come on, Rafe.” She stroked his neck with newfound confidence. “Let’s fly.”

He reared up and took to the air.

*

Rafe didn’t understand how he could fly for so long. He’d flown through the night, until daybreak and beyond, watched the sun breach the horizon, and still felt no desire to land and rest his wings. And he didn’t know where the strange pulses of energy pinching his underside were coming from. At first he thought they were coming from the Draco stone, but he’d held the stone in his hand before and felt no different.

Now, though, something had changed. Power rushed through his wings like never before. With every flap and pull, they gained ground and picked up speed. His wings beat faster. His tail whipped harder. And Misty clenched her thighs tighter around his middle.

It was a glorious ride. One he’d never forget.

They crossed into Draco territory as the sun balanced high on its ecliptic. Rafe had never been more depressed to see his home. Their time together was almost up. He’d have to send Misty back….

Miles of uneven rain forest rolled beneath them. Glistening rivers wound through caverns and canyons. Cliffs appeared out of nowhere, jagged and menacing. And just out of sight, beneath the canopy of trees, was the Sindracos’ village. How easy it would be to claim one of their women with his body, just to be able to live a long life. Her name could be carved over Misty’s. It wouldn’t mean anything. Not really. His heart would always be hers…they both knew it.

At least he could live long enough to love Misty the way she deserved.

Even as he tossed over the possibility, Rafe knew he could never do it. Claiming another rider may not kill him physically, but it would destroy the one thing he’d held dear all these years: his loyalty to Misty.

As Castle Arcane crowned over the horizon, she said, “Almost there. A few long strides and you’ll be home…
we’ll
be home.” She stroked his side lovingly.

Rafe’s brain somersaulted and his wings slowed, dwindling his pace to a crawl.

We’ll be home.

The words scraped against his skull, peeled the skin off his bones. Like rubbing a panther’s fur the wrong way, the words bent back his scales and wrinkled his snout. As much as Rafe dreamed of the day Misty would consider the Isle of Feralon her home, it wasn’t right.

We’ll be home
translated to
she’ll die here—a young, tragic death.

He couldn’t live with himself if he let his selfish love for her erase what could’ve been a long, happy life.

He banked right, pushing hard for the cliffs beside the castle. He’d have to get this over with quickly. Otherwise he was liable to talk himself out of what he knew he had to do. He landed roughly, where the black land of Feralon collided with the sea. On a rocky landing halfway down to the shore, a large blowhole spouted sea foam high into the air.

Misty slid off his side and looked around. The sun casted sideways shadows over the petite angles of her face, illuminating both her beauty and her innocence. Damn it, what kind of beast would Rafe be if he took those from her?

“What are we doing here?” She eyed the blowhole curiously as the tide sucked back to sea. “Queen Elixa won’t want us making a detour with her stone. Just from setting my feet on the ground I can feel how weak the Dracos have become. We need to get in there.”

As a massive cloud slithered in front of the sun, Rafe shifted and turned away from Misty as soon as he could. The letters branded into his chest burned something fierce. It’d only gotten worse over the past two days, and Rafe had done a damn good job not thinking about it. He knew what the scorching sensation meant. Although his refusal to claim a rider was his choice—his fault—it did nothing to dull the pain of imminent death.

“Why’d you do that?” Misty asked, opening his duffel and tossing him an extra set of clothes.

“Do what?” He caught the clothes and dressed in a hurry.

“Turn away from me after you shifted. It’s not like I haven’t seen you naked a hundred times before.”

Once he had his shirt on, hiding the scorching mark, he spun around.

Misty stared at his chest wide-eyed. “What the—what’s that?”

He looked down. The letters of Misty’s name were burning so fierce, they glowed hellfire red through the cotton of his shirt.

“Damn it.” He crossed his arms and turned away.

“What’s going on? Why are they—” She spun in front of him and ran her fingers over the letters, then jerked her hand away. “Shit, Rafe, they’re hot! Is that what happens to all Dracos when they self-proclaim a rider?”

He exhaled heavily, realizing he couldn’t tell her the truth. No other Draco in history was stupid enough to deny a rider. Most of his brothers and sisters claimed riders like they were going out of style. When a decade or two passed and they lost one, they spent some time in the Sindraco village and fell in love with another. To some, it was seen as the Draco equivalent of arranged marriage. A union suiting a mutual purpose—Dracos became stronger and faster when a rider straddled their back, guiding them through the sky. Riders gained family, protection and a sense of purpose that superseded anything they could find on their own. In fact, old and single Sindracos were seen as spinsters: evil and burdened.