Hot Blooded (36 page)

“We all did,” Laith admitted and set the tray down on the table. He then walked out of the room and softly pulled the door shut before turning to Con. “Is this where you convince me I'm making a mistake?”

For long minutes, Con starred at him with his black, emotionless eyes. “Would it do any good?”

“Nay.”

“Then that's no' why I'm here.”

Laith frowned. Since when did Con give up so easily? “Why are you here?”

“Your woman's life was put in danger by our enemy. Her employers were part of it.”

“They could be one and the same.”

Con nodded in agreement. “I've come to the same conclusion. He got those pictures and the location of the doorway and gave it to the Dark.”

“He?” Laith crossed his arms over his chest and regarded Con. “You mean Ulrik.”

Con lifted one blond brow. “Does that bother you?”

Laith considered everything that had happened since the Silvers first moved three years ago and Hal was the first Dragon King to fall in love with a human. “I wanted it to be someone else, but I think it's Ulrik.”

“He must be stopped,” Con stated in a low, dangerous voice.

Laith glanced at the door behind him, thinking of Iona. “She's mine in all ways but the ceremony. I willna have her in danger like that again. What do you need from me?”

“I need to know that when I do confront Ulrik that you'll stand with me.”

“You have it.”

Con clapped him on the arm and strode away.

Laith remained where he was long after Con was gone. He knew it was the right decision to make, and yet he couldn't stop the disappointment and distress that engulfed him. Ulrik had been one of them. It should never have come to the point that they would have to kill one of their own.

He walked down the stairs to the hidden door in the manor that led straight into the mountain. Laith didn't stop until he reached the cavern that held the Silvers. His steps slowed and halted altogether when he reached the cage. The Dragon Kings' magic had made and enforced the cage, just as their magic kept the Silvers sleeping.

Laith reached through the cage and rested his hand on the dragon nearest him, the silver metallic scales smooth and warm beneath his palm.

He searched his memories for the Ulrik that had laughed easily and often, the Ulrik who loved to play jokes on everyone. That Ulrik had been loyal to a fault, and the most giving of any Dragon King.

Ulrik had been the first of them to take a human as a lover. He didn't hesitate to trust the humans. Ulrik went so far as to also be the first to build a human house to bring them onto his land and protect them. Shortly after that, he became enamored with a human female, and she for him. Ulrik loved her completely. They would have been mated earlier had his duties not taken him away from her.

Ulrik was with Con, putting the final touches on their ceremony when they discovered she was betraying him. It was because Ulrik trusted with such certainty that the rest of the Kings were devastated at the news. It was because of Ulrik's friendship, his loyalty that each of the Kings wanted revenge before she could hurt him.

Looking back now, Laith knew it was a mistake for them to take matters into their own hands. It should've been Ulrik's decision to make regarding his woman. Laith hadn't understood before, but now that he loved, he realized just how grave their mistake was.

When he backed away from the cage and turned, he found Iona standing at the entrance. He frowned, wondering how she had found him.

“Warrick brought me,” she answered his unasked question. Iona's dark eyes were troubled as she watched him. “Are you all right? You look … sad.”

“I always am when I come here.” Laith walked to her and took her hand. “Let me show you the Silvers.”

“I don't think I should be here,” she whispered and hastily looked around.

Laith smiled and kissed the back of her hand. “Of course you're supposed to be here.”

They stopped before the cage, and Laith watched her move this way and that to take in the dragons. She walked slowly around the giant cage until she returned to him and gave a shake of her head.

“I've seen you shift. I know what you've told me is real, and yet it's all brought home by seeing these Silvers,” she said and looked at him.

Laith tucked a stray strand of blond hair from her ponytail behind her ear. “I understand.”

“I could talk about these magnificent dragons all day and how sad it is to see them locked away, but I'd rather know what's really bothering you.”

Laith sighed and squeezed the bridge of his nose. “I can no' deny who our enemy is any longer.”

Iona glanced at the Silvers. “It's Ulrik, isn't it?”

“It is.” Just admitting it out loud was like a dagger piercing his heart.

Iona threw her arms around him. “I'm so sorry.”

He held her tight, taking the comfort she offered. It was new for him to share anything, and yet it eased him. “Con asked me to stand with him when he goes to kill Ulrik.”

“Is there no other way?” she asked.

Laith pulled back to look into her eyes. “Nay.”

“You won't do this alone. I'll be with you,” she vowed.

He smiled, because whether she knew it or not, Iona had just pledged herself to him. Laith found himself smiling once more, the sadness from earlier falling away in Iona's presence.

“What?” she asked skeptically. “You're smiling now.”

“Next month is the annual celebration Dreagan hosts for the village. Want to be my date?”

She looked upward and bit her bottom lip. “Hmm. That means I'll need to do more shopping.”

“Is that an aye?” he asked as he jerked her hips against him.

Iona laughed and slid her hands into his hair. “Definitely.”

“You do realize that means you'll stay here for a month?” he asked with a knowing look.

She shrugged and said offhandedly, “I know. I don't have a job anymore, remember?”

“Oh, I'm fairly certain we can take advantage of your expertise. Besides, the village needs a photographer for weddings and such.”

“I used to thumb my nose at such jobs, but oddly enough, the thought of doing that appeals to me more and more. You've changed my world, Laith.”

He caressed her cheek, amazed that she was really in his arms. “It wasna me. You were destined for this role, and you were brought home when you were ready to accept it.”

“I'm ready for whatever is next.”

“Including being mine?”

She pulled his head down until her lips were almost touching his. “Especially being yours.”

Laith moaned and claimed her lips in a scorching kiss. She hadn't yet agreed to be his mate, but he was willing to wait. For Iona, he would do anything.

 

EPILOGUE

A month later …

Laith held Iona close as they danced to a slow song, their bodies swaying to the music. Normally, he hated the annual party, but he had been looking forward to it for weeks. He smiled at the envious looks from other men as they gazed at his Iona. She wore a spectacular black one-shoulder dress with elaborate silver beading around her waist that also followed the single strap across her back.

Iona kept her blond locks wavy as she pulled them back in a loose, side bun. She wore no jewelry, which made everything even more elegant. Laith couldn't wait to take her hair down and get her out of the dress.

“What are you grinning about?” she asked as the song ended.

Laith spun her twice, her laughter making him smile. As soon as the next song began, he pulled her tight and kept dancing. He then reached into the pocket of his tux jacket and pulled out the white velvet box.

She gasped, looking from the box to him. “Only jewelry comes in those little boxes.”

He bit back a grin, because he knew that little worry frown of hers meant she thought he was asking her to marry him. It was coming, but not yet. Besides, he had something special planned for that.

“So it does.”

“No one has ever given me jewelry,” she whispered. She stopped dancing and took the box in both hands.

Laith covered her hands with his. “I like being the first.”

She flashed him a smile. “You've been my first for many things.”

“And I'll continue to be. Now, open the box.”

Iona hesitated for another second before she popped open the lid, her eyes going wide. Laith glanced down at the pear-shaped black diamond earrings. “They're absolutely beautiful, Laith. Thank you.”

He held the box while she put on the new earrings. She was glowing when he took her back in his arms to complete the dance.

“I'm going to have to thank you properly tonight.”

Laith glanced at his watch. “We've been here for two hours. I think we could leave now.”

At her nod, Laith took her hand and led her out of the building. As soon as they were in the night air, she lifted her dress with one hand and they began to run, laughing, to the manor.

*   *   *

Lily watched Laith and Iona disappear into the night. There was no doubt what they were going to do. Over the past few weeks Lily had seen more and more of Iona, and then she learned Iona had moved into the manor.

At first Lily had thought she was Rhys's. He did like them tall and blond, after all. But it turns out, Laith claimed the pretty photographer.

She wasn't sure what she thought of Iona. She was nice, but she had put Lily on edge by taking photos of her without Lily being aware of it until after the fact. The last thing Lily wanted was for those pictures to get out. Iona assured her they wouldn't, and Lily prayed she could trust her.

Lily glanced down at her cream dress. It was the fanciest thing she had owned since she left her family. The silk was soft against her skin, though she was self-conscious of how form-fitting the dress was after wearing such loose clothing for so long.

She walked to a window and looked inside the warehouse to the guests within. The music was loud, and the guests smiling. A week before the warehouse had been filled with casks of whisky, but they had been distributed to other warehouses on the property just for this party.

A party she wasn't part of. Not because she wasn't invited, but because she felt out of place. If it had been up to her, she wouldn't have come, but Sammi, Jane, and Shara had produced the gown and shoes.

And though Lily wouldn't admit it to anyone else, she felt like a princess in the dress. It had been so very long since she had let her girly side come out that she was reveling in it. However, instead of doing it in a room full of people who didn't know her and wondered why she was standing by herself, she had chosen to watch everything from outside.

“Should you no' be inside with the others?”

Lily shuddered at the sound of Rhys's voice. He was forever walking up behind her, not that she minded. She turned to him and gasped at the sight of him. He was breathtaking in his tux jacket paired with a kilt. The man could wear anything, but she loved him in his kilt. “Perhaps. Shouldn't you?”

“Perhaps.”

She smiled and glanced away. Lily could never look in his aqua eyes for too long for fear that he would see just how much she lusted after him.

“What are you really doing out here?” he asked softly.

“I don't do well with crowds.”

He held out his hand as a new chord of music began. “How about with me?”

Lily's heart missed a beat. Was the most handsome man she knew actually asking her to dance? As if she would refuse.

She put her hand in his, noting how large it was compared to hers. His touch was tender and warm. She stared at the white shirt beneath his tuxedo jacket as he moved them around the small patio.

The music was slow and had a sensual beat, which made it even more difficult for Lily not to fantasize about Rhys. He was just being nice, that's all this was. She needed to remind herself of that every few seconds lest she begin to think something more might come out of a simple dance.

There were no words between, just the music and the night. It was the most romantic, most amazing moment of her life.

All too soon the music ended. Rhys drew them to a stop, but he didn't release her. Lily looked up into his face, her lips parting as her lungs seized. The raw desire she saw there made her stomach clench with excitement and need.

She refused to move when his head lowered to hers for fear that he would change his mind. Then his lips touched hers. It was just a soft brush at first, before he returned a second time and pressed his lips to hers.

Lily sighed as his hand delved into her hair to cup the back of her head. The next instant his tongue slipped through her lips and touched hers. Rhys kissed with sexual abandon that startled Lily as much as it thrilled her. He deepened the kiss, a moan rumbling his chest. She held him, basking in the euphoria of his taste, his touch.

And just as suddenly as he had begun it, Rhys ended the kiss.

Lily blinked up at him while trying to get her bearings. He gazed at her with fathomless eyes for long moments. Then he slid his fingers through the length of her hair.

“I love your hair,” he whispered. As if that confession surprised him, Rhys promptly released her and strode away.

Lily touched her lips that still tingled from his kiss. She didn't know why Rhys kissed her, nor did it matter. She had been in his arms, had tasted him.

And it only made her wish for more.

 

Read on for an excerpt from the next book by Donna Grant

NIGHT'S BLAZE

Coming soon from St. Martin's Paperbacks!

 

 

On the lift up to Lily's room, she and Rhys stood in the back while a group piled on with them. Rhys looked down at her while she watched everyone else.

Lily's eyes were so full of … eagerness that Rhys found himself watching her to see the play of emotions on her face. There were times she hid her feelings well, but others where she wore them on her sleeve for the world to see.