Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

D espite Nathan's best effort to focus on their surroundings and not on how nice Hayley smelled or how perfect her skin tasted or any other fantasy that had her naked and at his mercy, he kept reliving every caress, word, and emotion. He'd never been so consumed by someone so quickly before.

His dragon spoke up. That's because Hayley is different from anyone we've met.

Maybe. But it's still too soon.

You don't have to hand your heart over on a platter today. But don't you fucking dare shut down later and push her away.

He didn't want to. However, he'd eventually been consumed by Tracey, and that hadn't ended well.

His dragon sniffed. We've met Hayley, held her, and tasted her skin. It's not the same.

But in a way, it is. She'll have to give up everything to be with us, to leave her human life behind to live with dragon-shifters. That's the same choice Tracey had to face.

Just do your bloody best to win Hayley and ruin her for other men.

You make that sound easy, but I'm not a master flirt.

No, but I don't think she wants that. At any rate, you need to learn more about her. She keeps asking us questions, but you don't do so in return.

As they glided along the lake in his dragon form, with Hayley on his back again, he tried to recall their conversations. And the female did have a way of turning the questions on him. He'd have to work on that, because he wanted to know more about her, too.

When they finally reached the opposite shore, Nathan placed Hayley on the ground. She turned around without asking—such a pity—and he placed his satchel to the side before shifting. His wings shrank into his back, his limbs returned to legs and arms, and his snout eventually became his nose again. He quickly grabbed trousers from the bag and put them on. Then he walked up to Hayley, leaned close, and whispered, "I'm decent."

She leaned back until her soft body rested against his front, and she murmured, "As much as I love your dragon form, I'm becoming rather fond of your chest."

He wrapped his arms around her, notched his chin on her shoulder, and a sense of rightness settled over him.

Did all dragon-shifters feel like this around their true mates? As if the world could melt away and he'd never notice?

Hayley leaned more into him and sighed. "I really want to stay like this and revel in your heat and strength, but we've come all this way and I want to know what's down one of those unmarked tunnels."

His dragon laughed. I like her curiosity.

After slowly releasing her, he walked to face her. Her cheeks were flushed, and it took everything he had to keep his cock from hardening. "Want to make a guess about what we'll find?"

She pushed up her glasses. "It could be anything."

"Exactly. But guessing at what it might be makes it all the more fun."

And it'll help her forget about being underground . But he didn't mention that part.

Hayley tapped her chin a few times. "Well, since it could be anything, I'm going to guess we find a dragon's hoard."

"Dragons don't hide away treasure like in your human stories. Unless you count our mates, and that's only if they're in danger."

"Good. Because if you try to lock me in a tower for my protection, I'll find a way out and hunt you down to give you a piece of my mind."

His lips twitched. "Would you, now?"

"Yes. I even know some people who are good at tracking down others."

He frowned. "Why do you need to know people who do that?"

"Because sometimes witnesses run away and need to be found. It's not official or anything, but I can be rather determined."

"But can't that be dangerous?"

"A few times it has been. But if I need someone to watch my back, I have some former special forces guys I hire. Discreetly, of course."

His dragon growled. I don't like that she needs security.

Me, either.

He asked, "Are you still in danger, Hayley? Tell me the truth."

She shook her head. "I don't think so. A few years ago, I had a close call, at least until the police captured the man stalking me. He tried to set my flat on fire but failed, thankfully."

"Bloody hell, Hayley. I don't like that."

"No one wants their flat to burn down."

He growled. "That's not what I meant, and you know it." He dared to cup her cheek. "Since I know you face things and don't run away, just promise me that if you have any sign, any at all, that someone is following you or wants to do you harm, you tell me."

"I will. But I don't think any of them are stupid enough to try something whilst I'm living on Stonefire."

Nathan's desire to get out of this bloody underground complex only strengthened. Because he couldn't go looking for traces of Hayley's enemies until he had access to the internet again.

And he would check into them, just to be safe. While in the past humans had been terrified of dragon-shifters and would only attack if they could lure them off their clans, things were different. Especially given the propaganda and such the Dragon Knights and dragon hunters had used over the years. Or the vile videos they had on the dark web, showing off the dragons they'd killed to drain their blood.

All it'd take was one cocky bastard who thought attacking a dragon clan would be as easy as picking off a lone dragon.

And while he trusted Kai and the other Protectors to keep Stonefire safe, he wouldn't take any chances when it came to his female. None.

Hayley's voice brought him back to the present. "I'm careful, Nathan. And I promise, if anyone looks dodgy or I get any sort of threatening message, I'll tell you straight away."

After caressing her cheek, he replied, "Good. And I'll need to hear more about the person who tried to burn down your flat."

"I'll tell you anything you want to know. Later, though. I want to see what's down the tunnel."

Searching her gaze, he started to wonder if Hayley didn't like talking about her weaknesses or faults. He'd teased her a little earlier, and she'd deflected yet again with the daft muscleman competition stuff.

His dragon spoke up. It's only been three days. We'll figure her out, no matter what.

You do love your puzzles.

And this one comes with fantastic sex one day, too.

He barely resisted snorting. Puzzles, food, and sex—you'll be so happy, you won't know what to do with yourself.

I'll never tire of our mate. That's all I need.

Now who's spouting romantic shite?

His dragon sniffed and fell silent.

Nathan finally released Hayley and gestured toward the two unmarked tunnels. "Your pick. Which one will we explore today?"

She tapped her chin as her gaze darted between the two, and she pointed to the one on the far right. "That one."

"Do you have your candle and matches, just in case?"

Holding them up, she nodded.

Earlier in the command center, Nathan had discovered the layout of most of the lights. There should be some down each of the tunnels, but he'd rather be prepared.

"Then stay close to me."

"Don't you have a shirt packed in there? It'd be easier for me to grab and stay close."

"Just hold on to my waistband."

As soon as her fingers brushed the small of his back, he sucked in a breath. Maybe a shirt would've been a better idea.

But since they didn't have a lot of time and he didn't want to disappoint his female, Nathan trudged forward with Hayley's fingers against his back. All the while imagining how it'd feel to have them caress him everywhere else, especially his cock.

Hayley hadn't shared with anyone except the police about the attempted arson or the stalking, not even with her sister. When it had all happened, her sister's health had started to decline, and she hadn't wanted to add any additional stress.

Although telling Nathan about it had seemed…natural. As if she didn't want to hold anything back from him. Being honest was more freeing than she'd ever imagined.

And now, oh now, she gripped the back of his trousers and could feel the tops of his hard buttocks.

Ones she definitely wanted to dig her nails into.

Before she could fantasize about what else she wanted to do with the dragonman, they reached the tunnel entrance on the far right. Nathan stopped, looked over his shoulder, and asked, "Are you ready?"

She held up her still unlit candle, wishing they'd found some torches instead. "Ready."

"If at any time you need to turn around and come back here, just tell me. I don't want you to have a panic attack or relive the horrors of your childhood, if I can help it."

"I know. And as long as we're together, it should be okay. You seem to chase away the bad memories."

His pupils flashed a few times as she tried to read his expression. But the Nathan from earlier, who'd let every emotion shine through, had vanished.

It was probably for the best, given how they didn't have a lot of time and needed to focus on finding an exit to the surface.

She spoke again. "Let's go. I'm eager to see Stonefire's treasure hoard." He rolled his eyes, and she laughed before adding, "You still haven't told me what you think we'll find."

"I need more information first. Then I'll make a guess."

"You're no fun. It doesn't have to be serious or correct. You could say we'll find a room full of rainbows and butterflies, and I wouldn't bat an eyelash."

He raised his brows. "Do I look like a rainbows and butterflies kind of male?"

"Hmm, you could be. Maybe with a jagged-looking butterfly. One on your other upper arm, so you have tattoos on each. I can give other reasons why you could be exactly those things, too. If you're curious?"

"I know better than to argue with a solicitor. So, let's go. Tell me if we need to turn around."

Hayley stuck out her tongue. Nathan chuckled, and it made her forget about the upcoming tunnel and darkness and the unknown.

Then they were walking again, and she tightened her grip on his trousers. Thankfully, the lights turned on as they entered, probably with some kind of motion sensor. However, the tunnel was narrow and Nathan's broad shoulders barely fit.

She blurted, "Maybe this is designed to keep intruders from rushing inside."

"Pardon?"

"This tunnel brings to mind some castles I've visited. They often have narrow, winding staircases leading to the important parts of the building. That way, invaders couldn't surprise them by racing up in large numbers to kill or capture someone."

"It only takes one person to assassinate a target."

"You're an assassin now?"

Nathan shook his head. "No. But history was one of my favorite subjects as a child. And the battles and invasions were some of the best parts. Assassinations weren't quite as common, but still happened."

"History was my favorite in school as well. But I knew if I studied it and earned a Ph.D., then I'd probably learn to hate it. Or, at least, the politics of working at a university."

"And so you chose the politics of the courts."

"At least with the law, I can find facts and previous cases to try and sway someone else's opinion. That's miles better than having to kiss someone's arse just to get the funding I need, like at a university."

"I suppose."

"At any rate, regarding history and dragon-shifter history in particular, we didn't learn much, and I've always wondered about it. How much was left out on purpose? How much of human history was changed to flatter the humans in their victories? That kind of thing."

"I'm not an expert by any means. However, you'll probably discover a lot in the records, once we escape, and you can compare it to what you already know."

"And maybe someday, someone can write history using both sides—human and dragon."

"I somehow doubt they'll teach an equal view in human schools."

"You never know. Even just one book, like Melanie Hall-MacLeod's, made a huge difference. I'm sure some others could do the same."

He grunted. "I won't completely discount it, but I'm not sure it'll happen anytime soon."

"Maybe not. But I do wish there were more dragon-shifter artifacts in the museums. Even some of the biggest ones in London don't have much. And artworks depicting humans winning over dragons isn't exactly what I'm talking about, either."

Hayley still shuddered when remembering one that had a group of knights in armor attacking a dragon-shifter that had been tied down.

Nathan's voice brought her back to the present. "Stonefire has some of its most valuable artifacts hidden away somewhere. If you could come up with a persuasive enough argument, maybe Bram would allow you to see them."

"A-ha! See, you do have a dragon's hoard."

He snorted. "In a way, yes. But I doubt they'd keep it down here."

"Or maybe they do. No one would find it, at least not easily."

"Except the traitors used to frequent these tunnels before they were banished. It'd be a hell of a risk."

"Hmm. We'll find out soon enough if it's down this tunnel because I see more light in the distance. It's either an exit or leads into a large, well-lit room."

She'd been so busy talking with Nathan that Hayley hadn't realized how far they'd trekked. But light spilled into the dim tunnel from the side. And soon enough, she saw the giant entryway. However, once they turned into it, they stood in front of a massive door, one with a giant lock on it.

Releasing her grip on Nathan's trousers, she moved to study the lock. "It's not a simple one with a key, which is clever. That way, it can't be picked."

No, it had a bunch of symbols she couldn't read. Ones that reminded her of the old dragon language, Mersae, she'd seen in the past.

Nathan studied the lock. "The script is in the old dragon language, and you need to use a word to open it."

"Are you even still taught the old dragon language?"

"Yes, actually. We rarely speak it any longer, unless we don't want humans to understand us. But we still learn it in school. It's what mating bands are written in." Before she could ask anything else, he added, "There are far too many combination possibilities to just guess. There has to be a clue somewhere."

"Would there be, though?"

"Maybe not. But it could be like the command center, in that it's not meant to be impregnable, but it keeps a random person from just waltzing into the room."

Hayley glanced around. Noticing the dark edges of the space, she lit her candle and went toward the corner. As the light illuminated the rock, she searched and searched but didn't see anything. Then she decided to run her fingers over the surface. Maybe she could feel something that she couldn't see.

After closing her eyes, she felt around. The wall was mostly smooth, with a few scrape marks from whatever tools had been used to carve out the space.

Nathan's voice filled her ear. "What are you doing?"

"Looking for clues with my fingers."

"Brilliant idea. I'll take the other side."

The fact Nathan hadn't dismissed her idea outright, or played it off as if he was going to do that anyway, made her heart warm. He really was turning out to be different from the other men in her past.

Probably because he was a dragon man.

She was still roaming the stone with her hands when she felt a crack. On further exploration, she could tell it was wider and deeper than the other marks. After opening her eyes, she held the candle to the space. The shadows created from the light revealed how the etchings she'd found were deeper and more complex than a single line. "Nathan, I think I found something."

He crossed the area in a few strides. Once he was at her side, she gestured. "Do you see it?"

"Yes. Can you move the candle to the left a little, to better highlight the marks and deepen the shadows?"

She did as asked. Nathan scanned the wall, frowned, and looked some more. Hayley tried to make sense of the markings, but it was just a basic circle with some smaller shapes inside.

Nathan snapped his fingers. "I think I figured it out!" He traced the circle. "This represents Stonefire's boundaries." He traced shapes inside it. "Here's the great hall, the main landing area, the small pond."

Now that he'd pointed it out, she could see it. "But Stonefire has too many letters for the combination lock."

"Ah, but the old Mersae name for Stonefire isn't—Sonfeyr."

It sounded like sewn-fear to Hayley's ears.

Nathan gestured toward the lock. "It's seven letters long when written with English letters, but only six when using Mersae symbols."

She followed and watched as he turned the dials. Every time he finished putting one of the six spots into place, her heart raced faster. While there might be nothing but an empty room on the other side, she didn't care. If they unlocked the door, it was a small win. And given their circumstances, she'd take what she could get.

With the final symbol in place, Nathan tugged, and the lock opened. Hayley cheered, which put out her candle. But she barely noticed as Nathan's arms went around her and he said, "Brilliant job, Hayley."

"Same to you."

For a few seconds, they embraced and didn't move. She was tempted to close her eyes and revel in his scent again. However, Hayley's curiosity won out. What if they'd found the treasure hoard? "I'm dying to see what's in there."

He laughed and slowly released her. However, this time, instead of moving ahead he took her free hand in his and squeezed.

She stood a little taller. "Let's confirm that I was right."

Nathan opened the door, and they walked inside. It took a few seconds before the lights flickered on. But once she could see, she gasped.

The room was far from empty—it was enormous, easily several football pitches combined, and items were displayed everywhere. Some were massive, like the metal armor that had to be used for a dragon-shifter in their dragon form, complete with a breastplate, helmet, and bracers for the legs.

But that was just one out of hundreds of items. She could spot some statues, some pottery, some crowns, and even more stuff in the distance she couldn't quite make out.

For about a minute, she stood with her mouth open, trying to take it in. There was so much history and secrets and even stories inside this room. Ones not many humans, if any, had seen before.

As she tried to process that, Nathan's voice snapped her back to the present as he said, "So, this is where they keep the clan's artifacts."

Grinning, she replied, "It's a dragon's hoard, then. I was right!"

His lips twitched. "You were. And judging by your initial reaction, you could get lost in here for days and not even notice, huh?"

"Maybe." She pushed up her glasses. "But we should probably see if anything in here can help us get back to the surface. Not anything fragile, of course. However, if there's something we can use to escape and not break, we should borrow it."

"Yes. If I can find something to either clear the stalactites near that opening we spotted, or a kind of grappling hook so I can climb up with you on my back, then we're going to use it."

"To cover more ground faster, we should split up."

His eyes searched hers. "Will you be okay?"

The light in the room wasn't the brightest, but between her candle as backup and knowing Nathan would be nearby, she nodded. "This room is fairly big anyway, so I won't feel as closed in. But if I shout, then come running."

His pupils flashed. "Always, Hayley. Always."

She believed him.

For a few beats, she wanted nothing more than to jump into his arms and kiss him. But reason returned to her brain. This was no place for a mate-claim frenzy.

Wait, was she thinking she could handle one?

Maybe.

Think about that later. "Right, then I want to explore as much as possible before we have to head back. So let's get to it."

He patted the satchel sitting on his hip. "We have some supplies. I won't let us stay to the point we run out. And remember to shout if you need anything."

She nodded, and they each took a different side of the room, looking for anything that might help them escape.