Dragon's Melody (16 page)

Chapter Twenty-Four

S
kye came close to hitting the elevator button to take him to the roof when he remembered the time of day. The sun was rising. Garen may have flown last night. In fact, he was reasonably sure he had, but he would have left that morning in Dove. And considering the mood he’d been in, it was unlikely he’d returned to his own apartment. He would be driving today and tracking him down would be a challenge.

But it needed to happen, so Skye headed to the garage and climbed into his own car, a blue Bentley with seats that hugged his ass almost as enticingly as Melody’s legs had. His cock hardened at the thought, the taut flesh pressing against the sharp object that rested inside his pocket. Ignoring his erection, he fished the box out and set it on the dashboard. It remained obdurately shut, even when he forced a small surge of his power into it.

He hoped that laced with Melody’s energy now, his own might be enough, but it still didn’t open for him. He glowered at it and swung the car out of the parking spot, tires squealing on the pavement as he tore down the street.

Needling impressions of humanity crowded in again, now that he was away from Melody. The fresh din made it difficult for him to focus at first, but with the top down and wind blowing past, he managed to pick out the thread of Garen’s bond to him and follow it. He’d gone north, so Skye followed, sinking his foot down on the gas pedal and speeding across the Golden Gate Bridge.

It took an hour of driving before he drew close enough to reach out mentally.
“We need to talk,”
he sent the moment he could sense Garen’s emotions, still a dark tangle of shame that lingered, mixed with the trail of Garen’s aura left behind as he’d driven.

A few miles later, Skye spotted Garen’s car at a turnout and pulled in beside it. A path led into the woods, Garen’s trail of energy glowed, easily apparent to Skye’s dragon sight. He found his friend at the edge of an inlet of the bay, staring out over the water.

“What did she tell you?” Garen asked when Skye was within earshot.

“That she did it to herself. It wasn’t your fault. I sense a lie, but I think she’s trying to protect you.”

“Half-truth,” Garen said. “It was my idea, but she brought herself off.”

“Why did you let it happen?”

Garen stared down at the reflection of the sunrise on the water. “It was only envy. I was the highest-ranking Guardian of our generation for five centuries. When I lost that status, I worried that I’d lose the respect I had along with it. Being unable to find a mate—or even a woman I found desirable enough to consider mating—I feared I’d lose ground. What kind of dragon would I be if I couldn’t find a treasure as bright as Melody? I simply wanted to understand why she was so special that you and Kol would have come to the agreement you did. To know what I should really strive for.”

“I trust you’ve satisfied your curiosity and can get back to work then,” Skye said.

Garen turned and stared at him. “You’ll let me continue?”

“I wouldn’t trust any other dragon to do the job, my friend. And she seems to like you. I also need you to make sure she continues to test the rules as set out for the duration of the contract.”

“Test them? You want me to actively encourage her to break her contract?”

“There’s something about her Kol and I didn’t share before the interview. I wanted to wait until I’d had a full day of her before I told you. Garen, she’s a Blessed.”

Garen expelled a surprised breath, his eyes widening. “That … explains so much. How she knows some of what we are. How she’s so responsive and willing. But why do we want her to break the contract?”

“It was for her benefit. Kol’s bond took over before she had a chance to choose. The man’s a powerful force where women are concerned. She signed the contract while under his influence, which means encouraging her to break the contract will help break her bond to him. With our help, it will allow her to choose her fate. And in spite of what I saw this morning—whatever happened between the two of you—I saw only a faint hint of Kol’s bond remaining in her. Help her break the rules. She’ll test you, but let her. And when it’s done, she’ll have the option to proceed with the contract and … and become my mate at the end.”

Garen’s expression clouded and he stared out over the water. “So you will mate her when this is over. That’s … I’m happy for you. You’ll finally earn your inheritance.”

Skye’s chest tightened in response to the wash of emotion coming off his friend. Mostly he sensed loneliness and despair, but deep beneath was the same cold fear of loss, only it was twofold now. The fact that Garen didn’t even try to conceal his feelings from Skye was very telling. It was a more convincing gesture of honesty than even words could be. To know that his friend not only feared losing Skye’s friendship, but now also feared losing the Melody’s growing affection made his heart ache.

“It’s only been a couple days,” Skye said softly. “Surely you’re not so taken with her …”

Garen shook his head. “Isn’t it an effect of her Blessing? I’ve never been so drawn to a female before. That I can’t even try to see if she’d be able to ….” He clenched his fists by his sides and stared at Skye, his face filled with anguish. “I will do what you ask of me, but please don’t draw this out any longer than necessary. I won’t be able to bear it afterward. Losing you will break me.”

The sense of loss gripped Skye suddenly, his gut tightening enough for him to lose the ability to breathe. It was true—if he mated Melody, it would mean a kind of exile for Garen from the life he’d known. And it was all for the power held in that tiny little box of his mother’s.

Garen turned to leave before Skye could answer him, but Skye remained frozen in place. It wasn’t until the sound of the Stingray’s engine revved and he heard it rolling back across the gravel that he fished the box out of his pocket and glared down at it. He knew what he needed to do.

She won’t be my mate, if I have the last word,
he thought.
She’ll be yours.

With that, he stretched his hand back over his head and flung with all his might, sending the tiny box through the air to splash into the water of the bay far from shore.

Chapter Twenty-Five

G
aren had a brief moment of panic when he entered the penthouse the next morning and couldn’t immediately sense Melody’s presence. The only impression he had was of the residue of Skye’s energy that permeated the place. He found her in her room on the second floor, sound asleep, her aura glowing blue more than gold. No wonder he hadn’t sensed her—she was so inundated with Skye’s energy he barely recognized her own faint aura buried beneath it.

He paused in the doorway, simply watching the subtle rise and fall of her aura in tandem with her breaths. She was a Blessed, a human touched by dragon magic in the womb, which meant she had been born already attuned to his kind. Not to the degree that a mated human was, but close. The act of granting such a blessing to an unborn human was never an accident. It meant a dragon who had given Melody this gift had loved her and her mother deeply and wanted her to grow up to find a dragon mate. This was why she responded as she had to Kol, and then to him and Skye, and why she agreed to sign the contract to begin with.

He resolved then to ensure she found a dragon mate—Skye. To honor the wish of the dragon who had loved her so much. Losing them both would destroy him, but he would see to it that she succeeded in fully breaking her bond to Kol and sealing the growing bond she had with Skye. And then he would leave.

He closed the door softly and headed back downstairs to the kitchen. She would be hungry when she woke, and likely full of questions. Determined to be prepared for her every need and desire, he mentally worked through every possibility while he cooked.

She came down, sleepy eyed and mussed, only a few minutes after the aromas of food began to fill the air.

“You must love me,” she said, giving him a bright smile that made his heart skip a beat.

Gathering his composure he smiled back with what he hoped was a cheery smile in return. “It wouldn’t be that tough a feat. You do make it very easy.”

“Flatterer,” she said, hopping up on the bar stool she’d eaten on the day before. Time flowed so much quicker in the new world than it had when he was hibernating, yet only the past three days had seemed to encompass eons where his own life, his emotions, were concerned.

He served her food, which she ate voraciously, barely speaking two words in between mouthfuls.

“You’re not eating,” she observed once she’d slowed down and started chewing her food rather than inhaling it.

“I ate when I left,” he lied. In truth, he hadn’t had an appetite for anything but her since that morning when he’d seen the glorious tendrils of her energy reaching out to him. His own aura had itched to entwine itself with her reaching energy, to entwine himself in her before he understood what that display had implied to Skye. His failure. The fact that Skye had then given him instructions to encourage Melody to test the contract didn’t alleviate his shame over betraying his friend.

She nodded, her expression only briefly skeptical before she frowned and said, “What happened with Skye? I take it since you’re back here, he’s at least not pissed off at both of us.”

“He is. He’s giving me another chance, and like you I’m also on a probation of sorts.” He thought about what Skye had told him regarding Kol’s wishes. He hated lying to her, but her rebellion was by design, and he was a key component in her rebellion. But how to encourage it and still keep his feelings in check?

“What exactly does your probation entail?” she asked, one pretty gold eyebrow arched.

Garen wanted nothing more than to taste Melody’s essence again in lieu of breakfast, but he answered. “Keeping
you
under control, apparently,” he said. “You didn’t need to protect me, Melody. I’ll tell you a secret about Skye … He can read your emotions even more deeply than a simple aura can display. He knew you were covering for me. Why did you do it?”

She propped her elbows on the counter and rested her chin on her hands, smirking at him. “You shoved your finger in me and made me come the other night. You
promised
he’d never know, yet he did. Somehow. How did he know?”

Garen tried not to think about how luxurious her pussy had felt with his fingers buried in it at the moment she came.

Help her break the rules. She’ll test you, but let her.

She’d already tested him. He licked his lips and looked at her.

“More secrets?” he whispered.

“Yes, please,” she said. “Unless we have a schedule to keep.”

“We should work out,” he said, unconvincingly.

Melody raised an eyebrow and quirked her mouth. She hopped off her stool anyway.

As she headed toward the stairs she called over her shoulder. “You’re in deep already. You owe me so much dirt I could build a fort when you finally deliver.” She maintained a bouncy step and the same teasing tone, but the playful glow of her aura seemed to fade with some deeper shadow as she climbed to her room.

Garen snorted at her response, but she was too far to hear. She’d bury him if she knew what he was up to.

To ensure he had dug himself deep enough, he made a call to Kol.

“Tell me everything you left out of Melody’s files. Everything.”

Chapter Twenty-Six

M
elody had to quell the sick feeling in her stomach as she rifled through the closet to find fresh workout gear. Tears sprang to her eyes. She was failing. At the contract, which should have been the simplest thing in the world to follow, but really it was the hardest.

She’d read it all twice. She knew what she was in for, but she hadn’t counted on her “keeper” to be so … her entire torso tingled with the thought of what Garen was. Was there even a word to describe a man as attentive and attuned as he was? So easy to be with one moment and then making her want him like crazy the next?

And then there was Skye. The wildcard at first. At least that’s what she’d considered him until the day before. All she’d experienced until then was his tongue and nothing else.

The man himself was beyond imagining. Her skin still tingled from his touch. Oh God she probably still glowed, too ….

She shut the closet door and turned off the light, just to check. In the full-length mirror, stark naked, her pores glimmered with faint light. It looked like constellations flickering on her skin. Like she was the representation of some smaller imagining of a goddess.

“Oh, fuck,” she said. How the hell did you spend the day with a guy you liked when you were filled up with the energy of the guy you just fucked?

“He knows,” she told her reflection. The understanding that Garen was fully aware of her connection to Skye didn’t help, though.

A knock sounded at the door. A moment later it opened.

“Melody?”

“Go away!”

She heard a dismissive snort and then Garen’s face was in the mirror’s reflection.

“Why are you hiding?”

“Because I’m afraid of you.”

He frowned. “Why?”

Why? Fuck was that the question of the century. Why, indeed. Why because I want you and I don’t want to want you. Why because I want you AND I want him. Because I thought I knew what I wanted before this all started and now I’m not so sure.

Oh, God did she want Skye and hated like hell that he was disappointed in her. And there was Garen on the other side of the door, a man she knew could take her to just as spectacular heights of pleasure, yet he was tasked with only taking her to the last camp before the summit while Skye got to see her the rest of the way to the peak. She’d thought she wanted what Kol had awakened in her, to give in to him completely, but the more Garen tested her, the more she wanted nothing to do with the damn contract. She wanted to do everything except what the contract required—but she wanted the rewards of it, too.

“I want to fuck you.” That was honest enough, right? Except it was really so much more complicated than that.

“Me too. But that’s a line we can’t cross.”

Melody blinked at her reflection, surprised by his confession and entirely unequipped to figure out how she felt about it.

“What do we do about it?” she asked, lamely.

“Maybe you come out and we actually make a decision face to face?”

Come out? She sniggered a little at his choice of words and was still laughing when she opened the door and stood in front of him.

“I’m not gay,” she said, turning to face him. “But I’m open to new ideas.”

Garen grinned. “New ideas are all I need. I decided we won’t work out today, though. I think we need a field trip.”

Melody balked. “I was told in no uncertain terms that I couldn’t leave the penthouse.”

Garen smirked at her. “I have executive privilege. If anyone asks. I made you do it. Besides, I doubt the contract says anything to the contrary.”

“What if Skye finds out? And don’t tell me he won’t because you can see how well that went for us the first time. No … I don’t think I should.”

A glimmer of shame crossed his face and she regretted making him remember. He nodded. “You’re right. I have a better idea, come on.”

He grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the closet, still naked. Ignoring her protests, he led her to the elevator. When she physically resisted, he bent down and lifted her over his shoulder.

“What the hell are you doing!” she cried, smacking her fists into his back. “I’m
naked
.”

“What I’m doing is kidnapping you. If Skye doesn’t believe you, he can watch the videos and see that you’re protesting. And I’ll take care of your clothes in a second.”

Melody wiggled ineffectually, but he had his arm wrapped tightly around her bare thighs, so she simply grabbed onto his hips for lack of anything else to hold onto. The truth was, the contact served to calm her down a bit. When she saw the elevator’s display reach the halfway point to the lobby, he finally set her down again and looked her over.

“Eyes shut,” he said.

Melody glared at him and crossed her arms. When he raised an admonishing brow she huffed and shut her eyes. His warm, gentle touch tugged at her wrists, urging her to drop her hands to her sides. The barest brush of his fingers against her breast left her wishing he’d do more. She felt herself leaning toward him, hoping that this was another little teasing game designed to arouse her. But he only took a deep breath and she heard him expel a long, drawn out sigh. Her skin tingled like a thousand tiny feathers were sliding over every inch of her.

“Oh,” she said softly, and sighed in response to the soft flow of air around her that seemed to grow denser and warmer by the second. It
was
arousing, but only by virtue of how it gradually tightened around her body, squeezing her breasts and hugging her hips and thighs.

“All right, you can open your eyes now,” Garen said. “What do you think?”

She looked down at herself and gasped, surprised to see she was now clad in a snug, flowery camisole and a pair of snug denim pedal-pushers, with sandals on her feet. She plucked at the fabric, worried it might not be real, but it felt real enough. Silk, by the texture of it, but the contact left a warm sensation on her fingertips.

“This is amazing! I’m beginning to worry that you prefer dressing me over undressing me.”

“You’re a joy to be with regardless of your clothing.”

“Where are we going?” she asked.

“You’ll see.”

He led her through the parking garage to a gleaming white car that took her breath away. The reality of this new little rebellion he’d talked her into tightened her belly as she slid into the soft leather seat. She smiled at the sound of the engine turning over.

“Not the kind of car I’d ever picture you in, I have to say,” she said as he backed the car out of the slot and headed toward the sunlight of the exit.

“What would you picture me in?” he asked. Once out on the road, he tapped a button on the dash and the roof slowly folded down into the compartment behind the seats.

“Not sure. Something flashier, I guess? I mean after seeing the penthouse and everything … A Bentley maybe.”

Garen chuckled. “That’s what Skye drives. I don’t actually live in the penthouse, you know. I’m there for the two of you. My own place is across town.”

Her curiosity piqued at the idea of truly seeing into his little world. “Can we go there or am I your prisoner for the day with no choices of my own?”

“You’re not a prisoner, Melody,” he said harshly. “I don’t know if we should go to my place, though. Anywhere else you’d like?”

She pursed her lips. “Show me your other favorite places in the city if I can’t see where you live.”

He grinned at her and hit the accelerator. The wind whipped through her hair suddenly, making her whoop and laugh out loud as she struggled to gather her locks up to keep them from tangling. Before she could get it under control, a length of something silky threaded through, slipping beneath her fingers.

“Move your hands,” Garen said.

A moment later she reached back to find her hair bound tightly in a long ribbon that wove through the entire length, holding it and keeping it from flying away in the wind.

“More secrets?” she asked.

“That’s just one,” he said. “I’ll tell you whatever you’d like to hear today.”

She lost track of where they were going, so focused on him and his words that she didn’t care that she wasn’t locked in a gilded cage. The freedom to simply ask questions and be answered was liberating in the extreme. Yet he kept skirting around the real question:
What are you?

They’d parked some time earlier and were walking through the lush greenery of Golden Gate Park when she grew frustrated and stopped.

“Okay, here’s a question. Why can’t you just tell me the truth? I’ve known my whole life that there were people like you out there—people who were different, though it didn’t really click how different until I met several of you in succession. I think I have a right to know what it is. Why won’t you just say it?”

He stopped in a dappled patch of sunlight, his pale, messy hair shimmering like corn silk. His expression darkened as he considered how to answer.

“You don’t actually have a right to know any of it, technically. We have laws that govern our race and one of them is that we’re not permitted to reveal our true nature to others. It would be bad for you if I did. So, I’m telling you everything else I can without telling you
that
. Please don’t ask me again, Melody. You will find out in due time.”

She scowled at him. “What if I told you I think I’m like you? Or at least half like you.” She stared at him, resolute. It had to be true. Her mother had said Alec wasn’t her father, but Melody had never really believed her. And whenever Melody had asked about Alec after he’d left, her mother had grown quiet and evasive. But now there was no doubt in her mind that he’d been like Garen and Skye.

“I won’t deny that you are very special, Melody, which is why Skye and I feel it’s safe to tell you the things we’ve shared, but you are human. I know why you might think otherwise—in fact Skye and I know a lot about you that you don’t realize. The man you believe is your father is not, but it is true he is one of us. Your biological father’s still alive, but not someone you’d like to meet. He’s a criminal, and very much human.”

“I don’t understand.”

“The man your mother fell in love with was named Alec, and he was from my parents’ generation. We’re trying to track down his legacy, but we’ve been having trouble. We believe he died without siring any children. He loved you and your mother, very deeply, but she was already pregnant with you when they met. Your mother likely didn’t tell you any of this because she never knew the true secret.”

Melody’s breath escaped in a harsh gasp. “He can’t be dead,” she said, shaking her head. “Please tell me you don’t know for certain!”

Garen cursed under his breath and immediately drew her into his arms, shushing her. “It’s another quirk of our race—the lives of the generations rarely overlap for very long. Most of his generation is dead, but no, we don’t have proof that he is.”

She let out a stuttering sigh, wiping her eyes and pulling away from him. “I would keep your secret,” she said softly, her chest tightening with the hurt that he didn’t trust her enough to share.

“I know you would. Please be patient.”

“How can you be so sure my mother never knew his secret?” she asked, challengingly.

“Because she would be dead now if she’d known,” he said, his gaze hard and set unwaveringly on her face.

Her belly tightened like he’d just punched her. It had sounded like a threat, even though she didn’t believe he would ever threaten her. Did he mean that if he told her too soon, she would die? She’d had a slew of other questions to ask but none of them seemed significant now.

“I want to go back now, please.”

Garen let out a soft sigh and nodded. He turned to walk back to the car and she followed, the bright sun and adventure of the day losing its luster after their conversation.

A little later when he parked the car, she shook her brooding mood off for long enough to ask, “Where are we? This isn’t Skye’s building.”

They were in another parking garage, but it was definitely not the one they’d left from earlier.

“You wanted to see where I lived, didn’t you?” he said, climbing out of the car and coming around to open her door.

The building itself was smaller and older, the tiny elevator barely large enough to contain his tall, broad-shouldered frame. He shifted around behind her after the door closed and he pressed the button for the top floor. She wondered abstractly if they always lived in penthouses.

The elevator opened into an open loft-style apartment, smaller than Skye’s but no less richly furnished. The decor was a contradiction to his sweet nature and attention to detail when he prepped her for her night with Skye the day before. She didn’t know what she expected, but it wasn’t the dark leather and carved wood furnishings, peppered throughout with elaborately carved statues of mythical creatures. She paused before one large wooden carving of six beasts entwined. It looked ancient and beautiful, the creatures’ legs and tails swirled and tangled in a giant Celtic knot.

But unlike Skye’s apartment, this place looked undeniably lived in. There was definite wear on the rugs and the floor that indicated a person walking through frequently. The sofas and chairs looked like they were regularly sat on. And a few of the smaller statues looked well loved.

“Have you always collected this stuff? Is it like a hobby you and Skye share?”

“More like a fixation for our race, really. Most of these things belonged to my parents, as did the building we’re in. I have a few new things, but only the most beautiful, well-crafted objects catch my attention. Those are the things I bring home to keep.”

He was giving her an odd look then, not unlike the look he’d given her that morning right before running out of the apartment after his apology. The look made Melody’s heart beat faster and she took a few steps closer to him.

“What’s the last thing you brought home with you to keep?” she asked.

The air between them seemed to thicken and he moved closer, his eyes never leaving her face. He paused barely an inch in front of her, close enough that she could feel the heat of his body radiating through their clothing. As though dazed, he turned his head and blinked at the fireplace mantelpiece they stood beside.