Smoldering Hunger (34 page)

“I know,” she said, glancing at the bathroom door. “I understand.”

Sophie wondered why Con didn’t ask her if she was coming to Dreagan. Perhaps he thought she was. The problem with that was that Sophie wasn’t sure what to do. She wanted Darius, but she wasn’t ready to give up her career.

Then she recalled how with just a look Darius could have her aching for his touch. And his voice. His voice was a seduction all its own.

“I think we’re finished,” Con said as he rose and walked around the table.

Sophie followed him with her eyes as he stopped at her door. He looked back at her and said, “Think carefully, Sophie.”

The door shut behind him as she wondered how the hell he could’ve known what she was considering.

CHAPTER
FORTY-THREE

Darius paused on the street and raised his face to the sky, blinking through the snow. He longed to shift and let his wings catch an air current that would take him high above the clouds. He wanted to lose himself in the freedom of it, to help diminish the ache in his chest.

But he couldn’t shift. Just like he couldn’t have Sophie.

He took a deep breath and walked into Sophie’s building. He reached her door and knocked. It was thrown open almost immediately. She flew into his arms as soon as she saw him. He closed his eyes, loving the feel of her against him.

“I was so worried,” she said against his neck.

Darius pulled away and tugged her inside the flat before he shut the door. “No Dark followed you?”

“I didn’t see any.”

He touched her face. “I’m so sorry that happened.”

“None of this was your fault. I should’ve listened to you when you said you shouldn’t leave me at the café.”

“That’s no’ on you. I should’ve waited until Con and the others arrived.”

The bathroom door opened and Claire walked out with a towel wrapped around her. She rolled her eyes as she walked to Sophie’s bedroom. “I think I might throw up if I have to keep listening to you two.”

Darius frowned down at Sophie who shrugged.

“I forgot,” she whispered.

A few minutes later music blared from the bedroom. Sophie smiled and led him to the sofa. She curled up in a corner and tugged him down beside her.

“Claire is still trying to figure out what happened. By the way, Con was here a few minutes ago.”

“Was he?” Bastard. Darius was going to find out what Con wanted with her.

She laced her fingers with his. “I think he wanted to make sure I didn’t say anything to Claire about all of you.”

“It’s always more than that with Con.”

Sophie glanced away, telling him that Con had grilled her on her feelings. Darius wished they’d managed to capture Ulrik. Then he might feel better about Sophie’s safety once he left. All it did, however, was spur Darius to find Ulrik that much quicker.

“I know I saw the video, but seeing you in person was breathtaking. I had no idea how big you were,” she said, awe in her voice.

He grinned at her words. He’d been worried that she’d be scared of him, but he should’ve known Sophie was made of sterner stuff.

“I wasn’t expecting your scales to be warm.”

He loved the sound of her voice as she whispered his name. Her moans of pleasure were so damn sexy. Darius got hard just thinking of her body and the way she felt in his arms.

“I want to see you as a dragon again,” she said.

Darius lifted her hand to his lips and kissed the back of her hand. “We’re watched too closely now. None of us should’ve shifted tonight, but I saw the Dark touching you, and I shifted before I realized it.”

“Thank you for saving me and Claire.”

Darius couldn’t look into her beautiful olive eyes. It hurt too much.

“You’re leaving.”

He closed his eyes at her words. After a moment he looked at her and nodded.

“So Ulrik is finished with me?” she asked, the smile gone as she leaned away from him.

“Con assures me that Ulrik willna bother you again.”

“But you can’t guarantee that.”

“Nay.”

She pulled her hand from his. “So you’ll leave with Ulrik’s word that he won’t bother me?”

“You have a life and a career, Sophie.”

“I thought we had something special.” Her gaze was full of hurt and a large dose of anger.

This was the part Darius had been dreading. “We do.”

“Then why throw it away?”

“Because what you do is special. No’ everyone has your skill,” he argued.

She blew out a harsh breath. “That’s nothing but bullshit. You’re afraid. I thought I’d be the one making excuses, not you.”

“I’m immortal!” he bellowed and jumped to his feet. He raked a hand through his hair. “I live on Dreagan, Sophie. Do you want to give up your life and friends to go with me? Do you want to give up your goals as a doctor? Do you really want to face the Dark and Ulrik every day? Because that’s what it’ll mean if we stay together.”

She simply stared at him, her arms crossed over her chest. Darius touched a lock of her red hair before he walked from the flat.

Every inch of him ached. Not from the battle with the Dark. He didn’t feel those wounds. No, he hurt from walking away from the woman he loved.

Even as his heart demanded he return to her, his mind knew he was making the best decision. Sophie wasn’t ready to give up her career. He’d seen it on her face. Why put either of them through more time together only to make the break that much worse?

It was better this way.

If it wasn’t for the war, Darius would walk into his mountain and sleep once more. That time would come soon enough. Until then, he would have to get through each day as best he could.

He reached the sidewalk and strode past the SUV, his thoughts turning to Ulrik. There’d been no sign of Ulrik since he’d disappeared when they tried to take him. All Darius could hope for was that Ulrik turned his attention away from Sophie. Without Darius and the other Kings in Edinburgh, that chance was much better.

The lie he told Sophie was for her benefit, but they would keep watch over her. It wouldn’t be Darius though. He didn’t trust himself to remain in the city.

By the time he returned to Dreagan, he was a mess. He couldn’t talk to anyone and went directly to his mountain—though he didn’t go inside. He climbed to the top and stared in the direction of Edinburgh, wondering what Sophie was doing.

Darius remained there for several hours ignoring the snow that piled around him. Then he turned to retrace his steps down the mountain. With Dreagan watched by MI5, everything had to be done as a mortal would. It was infuriating.

Halfway down the mountain Darius saw Rhys sitting on a rock. Rhys stared at his hand that was held palm up catching snow. Darius paused for a heartbeat before he continued to Rhys.

“Can you see her from the top?” Rhys asked.

Darius hooked his thumb in the belt loop of his jeans. “You know I can no’.”

“But you feel closer to her.”

Darius looked at the ground. Words stuck in his throat as he thought of Sophie. How had something that began so simple ended so complicated?

“You’ll never get her out of your blood,” Rhys said as he looked at Darius. “You’ll still taste her on your lips years from now. That hunger you have, that’ll only intensify.”

Darius clenched his jaw. He didn’t need Rhys to tell him anything. He felt it already.

Rhys slowly closed his fingers around the small mound of snow in his palm. “That ache will begin to crush you from the inside out.”

“Is that how you felt with Lily?”

“Aye, but I didna wait so long to take her. As soon as I made love to her, I knew there was no turning back.” Rhys opened his fingers and tilted his hand so that the snow fell to the ground.

Darius eyed him, wondering what he was getting at.

Rhys stood, his aqua ringed dark blue eyes pinning him. “If you want to know what it’ll be like, you need to talk to Rhi.”

“Stop,” Darius said and held up a hand. “I doona need to hear this.”

“I think you do.”

Darius shook his head and let his hands fall to his sides. “I lost something once, long ago. I know the sting of it.”

“You think you do,” Rhys argued. “You’re just getting a taste. Wait, my friend. The pain hasna begun yet.”

Rhys turned and walked away without another word. For several minutes, Darius remained where he was.

He knew exactly how bleak his future looked. Odd that he had closed everyone off for a tragedy thousands of years ago. That time in his life had been what he thought was the worst that could happen.

How very wrong he had been.

*   *   *

Sophie stared out the window with a cup of coffee in her hand. She hadn’t been able to sleep no matter how badly her eyes hurt. Because every time she closed them she saw a purple dragon.

She saw Darius.

“I could refill that cup a third time, but it’d be a waste if you aren’t going to drink it,” Claire said from behind her.

Sophie looked at her friend through the reflection of the window. Claire had slept like a baby the entire night. At least Claire would remember nothing and be able to go on. Sophie didn’t have that privilege.

“I know,” Sophie said. “I thought I wanted it, but I don’t.”

“When was the last time you ate?”

Sophie thought back and shrugged. “Sometime yesterday, I think.”

“You need to eat.”

“I can’t.” The mere thought of food made her want to be sick.

Claire came to stand beside her. “You could call Darius.”

If only Claire knew how many times Sophie had begun to call him. “No.”

“Hmm,” Claire said as she looked down at the street. “The Mercedes is still here. Neither Con nor Darius took it.”

Sophie shrugged. She didn’t care about the SUV.

“I wonder who’ll come for it.”

Sophie was trying hard not to snap at Claire and tell her friend she didn’t give a bloody damn about it. Darius had ended things, and she couldn’t wrap her head around it. The tears were coming, but Sophie was still in shock.

Claire turned her face to her and smiled. “What do you think about Dreagan whisky?”

She looked at Claire with a frown. “Whisky? I don’t like whisky.”

“Yeah, I’ve tried a few, but never really liked the taste either. I hear Dreagan is the best there is. You know it’s made here in Scotland.”

Sophie shrugged. Of course she knew that. Darius had told her it was his home. “Yeah.”

“I think their logo is really cool.”

“That’s nice.” Sophie’s last nerve was wearing raw. She wanted to be alone, but she didn’t have the heart to tell Claire that. She also didn’t want to tell Claire anything about Darius, because to repeat any of it right now might break her.

“Oh,” Claire said as she came to stand beside her, licking the spoon she had taken from stirring her coffee. “I called a friend at the police station. That Mercedes you don’t care about is registered to Dreagan Industries.”

There was something about all of this that Sophie should be concerned about, but all she could think about was going to Dreagan. She could return the SUV.

If she went, then that meant she was leaving her career behind, leaving her friends behind.

“Go,” Claire urged.

Sophie looked at her. “What?”

“Go to Darius. You’ve found what I’ve looked for my entire life.”

She looked helplessly around her flat. “Claire, it means giving up my life.”

“Is he the kind of man that makes you long to be with him?”

“Yes.”

“Is he the kind of man who makes you feel complete, who makes you feel as if you’re better when you’re together?”

Sophie nodded, tears gathering in her eyes.

“Is he the kind of man that is worth letting go?”

“No,” Sophie said as the tears started.

Claire smiled sadly and wrapped an arm around her. “Then don’t be stupid, Soph. Go tell him what he means to you.”

Sophie handed her coffee cup to Claire and ran to her room. She changed in record time, grabbing the keys on the table as she rushed out, Claire’s laughter following her.

“Good luck,” Claire said right before Sophie slammed the door behind her.

Once in the Mercedes on the road to Dreagan, Sophie had time to think about what she was going to say to Darius. If he was even there.

Oh, God. What if he wasn’t there?

He’ll be there.

Sophie went around a car going slowly. She’d tell them that she was there to return the SUV. Then casually ask to see Darius.

She groaned at such a stupid move. If only he’d be there when she drove up. But what were the chances that he would be standing there at that time?

Sophie wasn’t sure how to do this. She hadn’t gone after a man in … ages. After she let Darius think her career was more important than him, it was going to take some serious groveling.

But what did she say?

She was sorry? She felt sick every time she imagined a day without him. He was worth giving up her career for, because theirs was the kind of love she hadn’t really believed existed. She felt it every time they touched, every time he looked at her.

The miles passed quickly. The closer she came to Dreagan, the tighter the knots in her stomach became. And then her mind halted. How the hell had Claire known about the dragons? She’d said she didn’t see anything, but obviously she had.

Sophie would keep that secret for the time being. Claire had been through enough. And perhaps if Sophie never spoke of it, neither would Claire.

When Sophie finally turned down the long, winding drive to the distillery, she was so nervous she was nauseous. Her hands were shaking when she parked the SUV. The parking lot was devoid of any cars, and she realized the distillery was closed to the public. But there had to be someone around.

Sophie grabbed her purse and exited the car. Her knees threatened to buckle when she stood. Closing the vehicle door, she looked around at the beauty of Dreagan. The buildings she could see were all whitewashed with red roofs dusted with snow. There was a row of tall hedges at the back of a gift shop that obviously sectioned off something from the public.

Was that where Darius was?

Sophie looked down at the keys in her hand. She had one shot to talk to him. She couldn’t screw this up.