Chapter Sixteen

Draco

Piper fell into a deep sleep, and I urged her to explore. There'd been a moment earlier when she saw an image of me holding a Minoan labrys while running through a burned-out forest. The scene reminded me of Hiroshima in 1945, a smoldering wasteland.

Yes, I knew all about the wars of the past through my studies.

Now, how the Spiroses had managed to educate me, I didn't know, but I could read and do math just fine. I spoke three languages—English, Latin, and Greek. I understood the laws of physics just like I understood that my gifts and abilities defied them. And when it came to history, I assumed I had the basics down because I'd been an archeologist. I even remembered going to the university and taking classes. All a dream, but the knowledge I'd obtained was real. I hoped. Time would tell.

In any case, I wondered about the significance of these images in Piper's head. Was it a case of her subconscious mind expressing her fears, or was there more to it? There were parts of her mind I could not reach, secrets she hid from even herself. Could this be the key to our connection?

I reached inside myself, searching for the correct tool. When I took King's life, he'd dissolved into a flow of power. There were no memories or feelings inside him. Just…power. And I took it. Unfortunately, that didn't mean I knew what to do with it. Yet.

Little by little, I'd been mastering my abilities. This would be no different despite King's energy being heavier. Darker. Definitely unnatural. The best way to describe it was touching ice, but instead of feeling the sensation of slick, frozen water on your fingertips, you felt the warm rain washing into the mountain stream. You felt the movement of the water as it flowed over smooth river rocks, mixing with oxygen. You knew the essence of every drop of water in that ice cube. The power gave unusual insights, and I imagined it was how my father had survived as long as he had. He'd understood the secrets of life, thereby beating death. So I guessed.

Did this mean I would live four thousand years or turn out to be an evil bastard like him? No, but if the only way to avoid becoming a puppet for Ten Club and the Seers was to be more powerful than both put together, then I was well on my way.

Piper would argue about absolute power corrupting absolutely, but she did not know my heart or what was in my soul. I had no problem killing a person without redemption, just like I had no problem sparing someone who was simply a pathetic human being with no purpose in this world, like Leo. Not good or evil, but a waste of clean air.

What a fucking asshole. I had heard his thoughts about Piper. He saw her as a tool rather than a woman ready to fight for him, his dreams, and his happiness. Piper had been selfless, loving, and loyal, and her reward was Leo screwing his client's wife.

Yes, that was the real reason he'd been fired. His employer had found out and told him to get the fuck out of town, or he'd let Piper know just what sort of man she was about to marry.

For once in his life, Leo had done the right thing and left. He'd also left Piper in a mess, owing money she could not pay back—the reason I'd offered to buy the house. It had once belonged to King, and I knew it held many secrets, but I was quickly running out of time. If the mysteries inside that home couldn't be revealed quickly, they'd be no use to me. In short, my gesture had solely been for Piper's benefit.

I looked over at Piper's peaceful face, her golden-brown lashes fanning out over her cheeks. She was a lovely creature, but if I wanted to avoid tearing the world apart, then I needed to focus. Those images in her head might mean something.

I rested my hand on her thigh and closed my eyes, pushing inside her head. Once again, I hit a wall—something buried deep in her subconscious. Whoever placed it there wanted to make it difficult to find.

There.Piper was running again. Only this time, she was running toward me. Blood covered her shoulders, and her tears cascaded down her sooty cheeks.

"Draco! Please don't go."

She fell at my feet, and I growled at her naked, dirty body. "Get up, you fucking bitch. Now!"

She took my hand, smothering it in wet kisses.

I loathed the feel of her, the smell of her, the look of her. "How the fuck did you get free this time?"

"Please kill me." She stood and began kissing her way up my arm. "Make it stop. Make it stop. I'll do anything you want, just make it stop."

I ground my teeth together. "You know what I want."

"I can't." She began to sob. "I tried thousands of times, but I can't remember."

"Then you will get no pity from me." I looked over my shoulder and waved over two of my soldiers. "Take her back. And make sure she is properly chained this time."

"No. No!" Piper wailed. "Don't do this to me."

I laughed, feeling a twinge of satisfaction in her suffering. If she wanted to deny me what I needed, then let her life be a hell she could not escape. What did I care?

My soldiers came over and took her by the arms, prying her off me.

Piper looked up with her hazel eyes and licked her plump lips. "At least fuck me before they take me back."

My eyes glided down her soiled, naked body. Even in her state of filth, her form made my cock stir. The small plump breasts, the wide hips, and the lines of her soft neck. She was my only temptation. Perhaps because I could not control her. Despite all my power, she would not submit and remember. I hated her for it as much as I admired her strength. For this reason alone, I savored toying with her, torturing her, making her grovel.

She batted her golden eyelashes. "I am yours. I will always be yours. Anything you want, Draco. Take it."

I pulled out my hardening cock. "Turn her around," I commanded my soldiers.

"Draco?" I heard Piper mutter next to me, the sound of the plane's engines whirring. I sat up straight and drew a sharp breath. Piper was sound asleep, her eyes darting back and forth under her lids.

My heart was pumping with adrenaline, and a sick feeling twisted my stomach. The scene in her head had been sadistic and dark.

"Draco?" she muttered again.

"What is it I want you to remember, Piper? Tell me." There must be some meaning to her vicious dreams. "What am I asking you to remember?"

Her hand slid across my thigh and latched onto my cock through my jeans. My body jarred from her touch, and the blood rushed to the organ. I drew a slow breath as she began rubbing her palm against me.

"Jesus, Piper," I mumbled. She had no idea what she was doing, but I knew. She was playing with a man who'd soon be fighting for every last inch of his soul.

I gently pushed her hand away. I could already take anything from anyone—their money, possessions, and even their lives—and they'd give it willingly with a smile if I asked. With every passing moment, I grew stronger, and it was wrong for one man to have this much power.

Nature, as cruel as she might be sometimes, always sought balance. The fastest predators could easily kill the weakest of the herd, but not the strongest, thereby ensuring the herd's survival along with the predators. These puts and takes were essential to the survival of all living creatures, and my gifts were well outside the bounds of what was safe for the world. No one should have this much power.

Unfortunately, as I'd already realized, if I wanted to stop Ten Club and the Seers, I had to be able to go up against them, their money, their influence, and their otherworldly powers. I just prayed my own power wouldn't change me, that I would not fall into temptation and start taking things simply because I wanted them.

I looked down. Piper's delicate hand returned, wrapping around my shaft.

"Why does being good have to be so difficult?" This time, I lifted her hand and placed it in her lap.

"Piper, if you can hear me," I whispered, "do not try that again. Next time, I might not stop you, and you do not want a man like me." Because maybe someday, despite my best efforts, I might turn into the monster from her dreams.

She turned her head away and muttered, "You can't stop it, Draco. Nothing can."

What did she mean? "Piper." I gave her shoulder a nudge, and her eyes fluttered open. "Why did you say that?"

She scrubbed her face with her hands. "Say what?"

"You said I cannot stop it."

She yawned. "I don't know. I was dreaming."

"Yes. I know. Tell me what you were dreaming about. What can't I stop?"

She pulled her head back. "Draco, I don't know."

"Try to remember. It's important." My own words tripped me, realizing I was asking her to do the very thing I'd seen in her dream.

"I'm sorry, but I don't remember."

"I'm ordering you to do it," I pushed.

She tilted her head and smirked. "Okay, buddy. You just keep telling yourself I'm an order taker. Good luck with that."

Maybe that was the key. I had the power to take her memories but not give them back. Earlier at her house, I'd also attempted to make her remember. No luck.

Fuck.This meant that her dreams held some truth. But how much? Were those images our fate, or did I still have time to stop it?

Piper placed her hand over mine atop the armrest. "It's going to be okay, Draco."

Was the worry on my face that obvious? "I still don't know what the triggering event is. What makes me turn against the entire world?"

"Just like I don't know why we're going to St. Thomas," she said. "Don't you think it's time to start trusting me?"

She was right. She'd showed some very large balls along with loyalty when she stabbed King in the back. "We're going to see my mother."

Her hazel eyes went wide. "Your mother."

I nodded. "If she doesn't have answers, then I am out of people to ask, which means I'll be going head-to-head with the Seers and Ten Club on my own." I would be flying blind, and that was not ideal.

"Then let's hope she knows something," Piper said and closed her eyes, wincing.

"Does your head hurt again?"

"Yeah. I don't know why."

It was because I went looking around, and her mind did not like it. "Breathe slowly. In a moment, your pain will be gone," I commanded.

With her eyes still closed, she inhaled and produced a soft smile.

"Better?" I asked.

She leaned her head against my shoulder and sighed. "Better."

I stared for a moment, fighting the warm feeling in my chest. I was enjoying being near her too much. Not a good thing when it was one man against a world full of sick animals. There was no room for temptation or weaknesses. You're going to be the death of me, Piper.

"Do not do that." I gently pushed her head from my shoulder and shifted my body away.