Defiant Dragon (11 page)

“I want good news, dragon.” Kirill’s tone was filled with annoyance.

“You really need to tone it down, assassin. You aren’t king yet,” Jax growled.

“What the hell has gotten under your scales?”

“I’m mated.”

Kirill’s laughter poured through the line and then tapered off. “Is that all? Young lizard, you must show your woman who is boss.”

“Yeah, can I speak to Synda?” Jax sniggered

“Have I ever struck you as stupid?”

“No, but there is always a first time.” Jax paused before continuing. “Batak, the Sumatra Dragonlord is meeting with me tonight. Can you give me any clues of what I might be looking for?”

“Not really. When Timur went searching for the treasure he found Elspeth, and as you know, we aren’t sure if she is a lock or a key and we still have no idea to what. I was hoping your mission would prove more fruitful than mine, that you might find a few jewels at least.”

“The contact here said Batak has accumulated quite a horde of his own. Is it possible he built what he has on what Manx might have left?”

“Really,” interest threaded Kirill’s voice, “anything is possible. Call me after the meet.” Dead air filled the line.

River touched his hand. “I’m not the only one that needs to change.” She tossed the duffel to him. “Hurry up, reptile. We still have time to eat before we need to head back to the bathhouse, and I’m hungry.”

* * * *

The sun hung low in the sky. After lunch, River led Jax to various museums where they searched for displays about legends, specific to dragons and other mythical beasts. They looked through all the displays of Korean relics and nothing unusual jumped out at them. She hadn’t expected to find anything, but it hadn’t hurt to look since he seemed to be pulling clues out his ass by her estimation. According to what Jax said, Salem, Massachusetts, a rainforest in Brazil, and now Sumatra were the locations that Manx’s clues had pointed too so far. The only place that delivered a part of the treasure, if you could call a child that, was Salem. She didn’t understand how billions of dollars in gems, coins, and whatever else could be hidden so securely in this day and age. Surely somebody would have discovered it by now? River bit the inside of her cheek and glanced at Jax. Maybe not. Deadly creatures walked among humans and the species had no clue. Even with photographic evidence, they dismissed what they couldn’t wrap their minds around. She exhaled and smiled. That was a great trait for them to have, given the fact that every now and then a shifter fucked up and was exposed.

Everywhere they passed with a television on “Breaking News
”
was splashed across the screen. Reporters were interviewing people from the night before about a monster that fell out of the sky. Someone even managed to get a blurry video of Jax as he flew high into the sky and melded with the night. A member of the news crew had dubbed the Jax
Pohang Yong
, the Pohang Dragon.

When the segment aired while they were eating lunch, other restaurant patrons sat enthralled with what they were watching while Jax scowled. She couldn’t help but laugh. Throughout the day, she giggled every time a station played the tape taken by a bystander’s phone. The images were already under attack by a local cryptozoologist who broke down the pictures frame by frame, pointing out how a dragon would probably move, and those stilted movements were not authentic. Another studio guest, a local college professor, cited as a herpetologist, that if dragons did exist, they would most likely stay away from human populated areas. Both men deemed the video a hoax.

“I told you, Jax, you were going to be famous today.” River bumped him with her shoulder. “It’s a good thing humans can’t grasp what they don’t understand, or we’d be in a shit load of trouble.”

“Not funny, River. I should have been more careful, but my actions were in response to your desperation to get out of there,” he grumbled.

“In other words, you couldn’t wait to get into my panties?” She stared up at him, clutching his arm as they walked from the city museum.

“You would have to wear the lingerie for that to happen,
polýtimos
,” Jax responded drily.

“I do, sometimes.” River chortled.

He glanced down at her and cocked a brow.

“The
Ajumma
will not be happy.”

“We’ll be gone soon. She’ll live.” He pulled his arm out of her grip and wrapped it around her shoulders. “Looks like she’s lived fairly long, already. Were all the women who lined the wall her children?”

“Yep, all twenty-six them.”

“How old is Bali?” They stopped at a corner, waiting to cross the street.

“Hyori is my age and she said her mother had a child every fifty years. That’s about twelve hundred.” River shrugged.

“She never mated?”

“Why all the questions about Bali?” River leaned back and stared at him through narrowed eyes.

“I still have that uneasy feeling I was telling you about. I don’t trust her.” Jax tugged River back to him.

“I don’t know, Jax. When I speak with Hyori, we don’t discuss Bali.” They stopped at the corner.

Fiery reds and deep orange colored the sky as the sun slowly dipped into the sea. People teemed the sidewalks as the professional buildings emptied of employees for the day. A crowd formed around them as everyone waited to cross the walk. They were carried along with the group to the other side of the street when the traffic light turned red. Someone pushed between Jax and River, separating them. A stranger grabbed her by the elbow and led her farther away from Jax. She hung back, yanking her arm free. The guy spun on her and narrowed his eyes, lurching at her with his hands raised. Just as quickly, everyone dispersed as they went their separate ways. The stranger lifted his chin and stared past her shoulder. He swiveled on his heel and moved away with the remaining pedestrians.

Jax appeared at her side a scowl on his face. “Are you okay?”

She nodded.

“Did you know him?” Jax clenched his jaw.

“No.” She stared off in the direction. “We need to go.”

They walked in solitude. The pier was quiet except for a few tourist groups that seemed to “ohh
”
and “ahh
”
at everything their tour leader showed them. The bathhouse was brightly lit, and several men with machetes clipped to their sides stood at the front door. Her steps faltered, suddenly the
jimjillbang
no longer felt welcoming.

Jax held her close to his side as he strolled up to the bathhouse. The guys stared over at her and Jax and spoke amongst themselves. Their dialect was guttural and their words were said rapidly, one word rolling into the next without pause. Her mate reached for the knob. The door swung open before he touched the handle.

Bali stood on the threshold dressed in loose pants cinched to her waist with cord. Her top fit her torso and reached her knees. The sides were slit up to her hips. Both pieces were the traditional emerald with gold-thread trim. Her face was coated in heavy white makeup, black kohl circled her eyes, and her lips were bloodred, marking only the center of her lips. The long black tresses she usually wore in a ponytail were piled up on her head and secured with a gold metal headband with green tassels swinging at both sides. “Good, you’re finally here. There has been a slight change of plans. Our
Ajosshi
returned with Batak himself. He and his
gadeu
—” she angled her head toward the fellas next to the door— “are going to escort us back to Sumatra.”

“I don’t like last minute changes.” Jax hovered in the doorway.

River interjected when Bali glowered. “The
Ajosshi
is here? Wonderful.” She pushed past Jax and Bali. “I would love to talk with him.”

“That is not possible. He and the
Ajumma
have already left, once I assured them I had everything under control. They also took my sisters home, but I have had our evening meal set up in the hall and Batak will be joining us before we begin our journey,” Bali hissed.

“No.” Jax wrapped his fingers around Rivers wrist, drawing her behind him.

River resisted his pulls and smiled widely at Bali. She needed to see what the mermaid was up to. “That would be lovely, Bali. I’ll speak with Jax and, of course, we must clean up. I don’t want to disrespect your guest. If you don’t mind giving us a few minutes?”

“Yes.” Bali dipped her head. “I will tell the staff.” She backed away.

Jax swung her around. “What the hell are you thinking? We are leaving now,” he coarsely whispered.

She met and held his gaze. “Trust me. It’s safer here than in Sumatra. Why go there if we can obtain our information here? Let’s feel the lizard out.”

“It’s a setup, precious. I already have an idea of what they’re up to.” His voice softened.

“And now you’re a mind reader? Better we find out what he knows here in familiar territory that we can navigate to get away if necessary.” She placed a palm on his chest. “If Bali does anything,
anything
at all, I will open my mouth and bring this bitch down around their heads. Trust me.”

“I will kill any motherfucker that touches you.” Jax rested his forehead against hers.

“The feeling is mutual.” She lifted her chin and pressed her mouth to his.

River slid her palms up his chest and over his shoulders to lock her fingers around his neck. He penetrated her mouth with his tongue and she sucked it deeper past her lips. He groaned and the rumble reverberated through her body. She pushed up on her the tips of her toes, into the solid wall of his chest. His touch set shivers along her spine as he skimmed his fingers along her ribcage and over her hips. She was hefted up and enfolded her legs around his waist.

Someone cleared their throat and River grunted at the interruption.

Twisting round, she saw the servant half-hidden in the shadow watching them. River dropped her legs and Jax loosened his grip, allowing her to glide down. “Yes?” She narrowed her eyes to peer into the darkness. She’d seen that servant before, recently and not at the bathhouse. River clamped her lips together. He was the man that tried to take her earlier.

“Dragonlord Batak and Bali are waiting for you to join them for the evening meal.”

“Thank you, we will be there shortly.” She turned her back, dismissing the servant she suspected would hover to listen to any conversation she had with her mate. River placed her cheek on Jax’s chest, comforted by the heat that emanated from his body. She wouldn’t tell him who she thought the guy was, that would just set his resolve to get out of there and her mate needed answers. Bali had become her enemy and she didn’t know when or how it had happened. If baiting the barracuda in her den was what she needed to do to help Jax, then it was time to go fishing.

“We can leave.” Jax’s chest rumbled under her face.

“You saw those men outside, we won’t get out of here without a fight.” She sighed. “If we have to battle our way out, we might as well see what we can take with us.”

“We will do it your way for the time being. At the first sign of trouble, I will set every one of these assholes on fire, and when I do I want your butt out of here and preferably in that inlet. I left our bag tied to the pillar under a layer of sand.” He lifted her chin. “If we get separated, meet me at the Blue Lagoon in three days.”

“I remember.” The name was familiar. “Where we met?”

“Yes. Now put your game face on, woman, and stay close to me.”

River took his hand and led him down the stone pathway to the gilt door that led to the hall. The heavy barrier cracked open and a splinter of light dissected the floor at their feet and slowly widened. She swallowed, glanced back at Jax, and tugged him over the threshold.

Chapter Ten

Drago crossed his arms and gazed at the gray ocean from the balcony behind his lair. The days were getting longer and the sun was slated to set around ten p.m. He raised his face, closed his eyes, and basked in its heated rays. Tomorrow he would join Nicolette at his home in Nome. He had a few loose ends to tie up before he left. He needed to kill and dispose of Harper, keeping the old merman was a waste of men and resources. Assan had a little more than twenty-four hours to deliver River. If that little shit didn’t follow through, he would have to go with his original idea of using Nicolette. Drago sighed and hung his head. Utilizing her would be another link tethering the witch to him.

She was useful, her powers were substantial, but she did not have the qualities he desired in a queen. Once he was Dragonrex, he didn’t want a powerful human at his side. No, he craved a she dragon, one who would rule at his side with an iron fist. Of course, if he could find the witch that had Nicolette concerned, the one that wiped out a coven. Hell, he had options. He combed his finger through his hair. She was out there. He just had to find her. After all, if his cousin could mate with a dragon assassin and she was human, he should have no problem locating the woman chosen for him by the Goddess. In the meantime, he would continue his plan and employ the people he needed to in order to ascend the position of emperor.