Chapter 10

10

Dracin wokewith Belle in his arms, and he had to hold in a sigh. So much for not getting involved. From the moment she’d shown up at his house, he’d been on tenterhooks, seesawing between pleasure that she’d returned—with his beloved truck!—and fear. A fear that his bachelor days were over.

But would that be so bad?

He wouldn’t deny the loneliness that sometimes hit. He wouldn’t deny a part of him would like to share his life with someone he didn’t have to keep secrets from. Until recently it seemed impossible. Then along came Belle, an actual witch, who didn’t run screaming at the sight of his dragon but rather oozed with awe—something the damned beast was still smug about.

His dragon, enraged that vampires would dare to not only show up at their lair but threaten Belle, proved to be more savage than usual. He’d never killed anyone before. In his mind, animals didn’t count. Yet, those vampires attacked, and he didn’t hesitate. He even bit one in two! And it didn’t frighten her one bit. On the contrary, she approved. At the other end of the spectrum, he couldn’t help but admire her own toughness and the fact that she didn’t hesitate to act when in danger.

When she’d offered to share her hotel room, he’d tried to refuse. Knew he should keep his distance. But on the drive over, it occurred to him that if the vamps wanted her, then they might try to take her again. What if she were alone when that happened?

Protect, his dragon insisted. On that, his beast and Dracin agreed, hence why they had to share a room, despite knowing what would happen.

The best sex of his life.

Like, literally mind-blowing. Next level. Holy fuck, he wanted to do it again and again.

The only thing he managed to hold off on? Claiming her as his mate. Not easy, though. He’d wanted nothing more than to mark her flesh so the world would know she belonged to him, even as he suspected she’d arch a brow and have some sassy reply to that kind of alpha-male claiming.

For now, they were just lovers, and allies against the vampires, but his restraint would only go so far. Already, as she stirred toward wakening, he wanted nothing more than to run his hands over her tempting flesh. To get between her legs and greet her with his tongue. Have her sigh his name.

Or scream it…

She squirmed against him and uttered a cute noise before stilling. Not that it fooled him. He could tell she’d fully awakened and realized she lay cradled in his arms. Would regret follow? Only one way to find out.

“Morning, Belle,” he murmured.

“Hi.” The smallest, shyest syllable he’d ever heard.

He pressed his lips to the bare flesh of her shoulder, and she shivered. “You slept well?”

“Very. You?”

“Not bad, although I am feeling a little tense this morning.” He shifted so that she felt the hardness of that tension.

“Again? So soon?” she squeaked.

Immediately, he felt bad. “I’m sorry. Are you sore?”

“No.” She paused before softly adding, “I’ve never woken up with a man before.”

He wanted to puff out his chest and strut. He also wanted to eviscerate every man who’d touched her and then made her feel less than perfect. “Morning sex can be a nice way to start the day.” His hand slid down over her hip to cup her mound.

She shivered. “Shouldn’t we shower first?”

“After,” he murmured. “No point washing before we get sticky.” His fingers slid between her thighs to find her slick already.

Her breathing quickened. “Why is your touch so magical?”

He chuckled. “Hardly. This is how it should be between two people who are right for each other.” Words he’d not meant to admit, let alone speak aloud.

“We can’t be together, though. You’re a dragon, and I’m a witch.”

“And?” he replied, never mind the fact he agreed. He slid a digit into her sex while his thumb worked her nub.

She sighed. “We’re not supposed to like each other.”

“Never was good with rules,” he admitted as he replaced his finger with his cock. He thrust into her, feeling her tighten.

She said nothing else, unless Oh and Ah counted. She came fast on his shaft, the shudder and squeeze of her channel milking his orgasm and leaving him limp. Satiation and happiness had him never wanting to move. It led to the realization his dragon might be right.

She’s perfect for me. However, she’d made it clear she wanted nothing long-term. Could he convince her to change her mind?

After she ordered breakfast, he gave her another orgasm in the shower when he went down on her, loving how she gripped his hair and cried out. How she had to hold on to him after because her legs were wobbly.

I did that.

They emerged to find room service had left them a tray outside the door. While she picked at it, she tapped away on her laptop, looking utterly serious. He lounged on the bed while eating and watching.

At her frown, he asked, “What’s wrong?”

“The Ottawa Clan. I’ve found a listing for it.”

“And?”

“And for one, they’re definitely in breach. The leader, one Theodore Beaumont, was told he could make six subjects.”

“We’ve eliminated over a dozen,” he reminded.

“I’m aware. Just like I noticed the ones we’ve fought were a mix of feral and not,” she noted. “He seems to be turning people left and right while not culling the failures.”

“Meaning he could have dozens more.”

She bit her lip but nodded.

“Did you find an address?” he prompted.

“No.” Her lips pursed. “Despite him being established for a decade now, it says ‘permanent headquarters pending.’”

“Meaning we’re at a dead end.”

“Not exactly.” She rose, wearing just a shirt and panties. She closed the curtains, sliding them along the track, putting them in the dark until she lit a fat candle. He got hard watching her bend over and retrieve a sealed bag from her purse.

A bag with a severed finger.

It acted as a cold shower on his erection. “What the fuck is that?”

“A sample from yesterday’s attackers.”

“May I ask why you took a vampire’s finger?”

“I’m going to use it to location scry.”

The unfamiliar word had him frowning. “What’s scrying?”

“In this instance, think of it as a magical GPS locater.”

“Really?” He flipped around on the bed so he could better see as she set herself up on the floor. She used a bowl from their breakfast and filled it with water. Into it, she dumped the finger, which looked rather gray. The closed curtains made sense. She didn’t want it turning to ash in the morning light.

Lotus-style seating, with her hands on her knees, palms upward, head slightly back, her hair dangling down her back, she closed her eyes. Her lips moved, and to his surprise, he felt a strangeness in the air. A sensation he’d have sworn oozed from Belle to tickle the surface of the water. It roused something in him, an odd feeling like when she’d used magic on him to remove the implant.

She mumbled faster, and the surface of the bowl shivered with agitation. Her forehead creased as she muttered, “There’s a shield blocking me from seeing.” She pursed her lips. “I’m going to push harder.”

While unable to help, Dracin still wanted to show support, so he sat behind her, hands on her waist, which led to his dragon hissing, Share.

What did it mean? His body jolted and then warmed, the tingling increasing. Her tension eased, but her chanting quickened.

A glance over her shoulder showed the water in the bowl boiling, the finger hidden by the agitated bubbles.

With a final snapped, “Show me!” the surface stilled and they saw a building, dilapidated, the exterior mostly brick.

“Do you recognize it?” she asked softly.

To his surprise, he did. “Yeah, it’s the abandoned mill. Booth Board Mill to be exact. It’s on the Ottawa River, right by the bridge to Gatineau.”

“A perfect location for vampires,” she mused aloud.

The image in the bowl dissipated and, with it, the finger. Only murky water remained.

She grabbed it and took it to the bathroom for a flush, but when she emerged, she eyed him with curiosity. “Why didn’t you tell me you could do magic?”

“Because I can’t.”

“The only reason I managed to push through the shield and get that clear image is because you shared your power with me.”

He opened his mouth to refute, only to remember the odd feeling. “If I did, then it wasn’t on purpose.”

“Ever had strange things happen in your vicinity with no explanation?”

Again, he almost said no, only… “There was this one time… I was working on my truck, and I reached for my wrench, only it was out of reach. My dumb ass still strained and wiggled my fingers as if they would stretch a few inches, only instead of my fingers elongating, suddenly the wrench slammed into my grip.” At the time, he’d felt like a Jedi—who couldn’t replicate the feat so assumed he’d imagined it.

“Interesting. I wonder if it’s a dragon trait that never made it into the history books,” she mused aloud. She eyed him. “I should warn you, it’s my duty to advise my coven leader of your existence.”

“I’d rather you didn’t.”

“Why?”

“Seeing as how I’m rare and shit, and I’ve managed to stay secret this long, I’d rather not be blabbing it to the world. I’d hate to have to eat any lookie-loos.”

“Do you eat people often?” she asked in all seriousness.

His lips quirked. “No. The vampires were my first two-legged kill. But it’s an effort at times. My dragon doesn’t have much patience, and when I’m threatened, or those I care about are in harm’s way, he’s only got one solution each time, and it doesn’t matter how many times we discuss we can’t just go around eating people who annoy us.”

“You talk with it?”

“Yeah. Not massive conversations. His thoughts and reasoning are pretty basic. Hungry. Tired. Horny.” He winked at her.

“I hope you’ll reconsider me telling my superior because they have people who specialize in unlocking abilities. Like the magic thing. Could be they can teach you how to wield it.”

“I’ll think about it.” And he would because he wouldn’t deny being tempted to find out more about what he could do. His having magic had taken him by surprise.

“So now that we know where to find the vampires, the next step is to scout out the location and see how many we’re dealing with. If less than a dozen, we can easily go in and handle the situation. More than that and we’ll have to call for reinforcements.”

“By scout, are you talking about going into the mill?”

She shrugged. “While the vampires are weaker in the daytime, and usually sleeping, they’re not completely helpless. I wouldn’t want to risk being ambushed by a horde.”

“Why not just raze the place while they’re vulnerable? It’s not that hard to set a fire.”

“It would be easy, but we can’t assume there are no tunnels or hidden exits.”

“If there’s not too many, are we just going right in and taking them out?”

At her nod, he rose from the bed. “In that case, we should also bring a spare set of clothes.”

“You probably shouldn’t shift outside in the open,” she reminded.

“Wasn’t planning to. At the same time, shifting inside will depend on the size of the space. I don’t exactly fit through doorways, and low ceilings are a hindrance.”

Her lips pinched. “I didn’t think of that. Maybe it’s best you stand guard outside.”

He snorted. “Like fuck, Belle. I’m going with you, but don’t worry about me being useless. I’m pretty handy with a gun, which I happened to pack.”

“I’m surprised. I thought shifters considered projectile weapons to be cheating.”

“Good for them. Me, I’ve always been aware I might not always be able to count on my dragon if shit hits the fan. As a kid, I had to learn to fight with my fists because I couldn’t scare my bullies with my beast. A gun is just another tool.”

“You are a fascinating man,” she murmured.

Probably the best compliment he could have asked for.

It was well past noon before they finally made it to the location. They’d spent the morning looking up information on the mill, including its layout and possible exits. The fact it was on an island concerned Belle because, as she pointed out, “It makes getting away without notice a tad harder.” The fact it had a few bridges and access points assuaged her qualms. He didn’t mention the fact that, in the very worst-case scenario, he’d fly her ass out. He wouldn’t let her be captured.

They parked outside the fence topped with barbed wire that prevented access to the derelict building that had been declared historic, making a few bids to renovate complicated. A few companies had started, but none ever finished, plagued by issues. He had to wonder if the vampires had something to do with the problems.

“Let’s make sure no one can report your truck to the cops later.” She waggled her fingers at his truck, and he saw no difference.

“What did you do?”

“What do you see?”

“My truck. Only it’s got a bit of a glow around it.”

Her lips pursed. “Interesting. I’ve glamoured it to look like a smart car. Gave it a Quebec license plate too. Just in case anyone sees it and reports it.”

He cocked his head before muttering, “My poor truck. The shame of it.”

“Don’t like smart cars?”

He snorted. “I don’t trust a vehicle I can lift on my own.”

“Fair enough.” Her laughter brought a smile to his lip. “Let’s go see what we’re dealing with.”

The fence proved no match for Belle, who pinched the wires and cut them, creating an opening for them to pass through, but she did remark, “There must be an entrance somewhere that provides easy access.”

He glanced around. “You don’t think they climb over the fence?”

“I doubt they’d go through the trouble of dealing with the barbed wire at the top, meaning there has to be an easier way in.” One not readily evident.

The parking area they traversed showed no sign of life. No cars either. Did vampires even drive?

The mill appeared abandoned, its windows and doors boarded except for one spot. A grimy and dented metal door that stunk of vampire.

He wrinkled his nose. “I think we found their main entrance.”

“Can you tell how many?”

He shook his head. “Not exactly. A lot. Definitely more than a dozen.” He glanced around.

“Hmm. So not going inside then. Before I set it on fire, let’s make sure we don’t see a back door. I’ll go left, you go right. We’ll meet up in a few minutes.”

“Is splitting up wise?”

“It’ll be fine. The vampires aren’t coming outside. Too sunny,” she pointed out.

Despite his misgivings, they went in opposing directions. He stalked along the side of the building until he reached the precarious edge that overlooked the water. The crumbling stone didn’t inspire confidence, and yet he craned to see the back with more boarded openings. As a dragon, it would be simple to tear those off, although the apertures might be a little too tight for him to squeeze through.

Just as he’d decided to return to Belle, he heard the distinct sound of a pistol being cocked. He turned to face the barrel of a gun being held by a scruffy individual in army fatigues, who snapped, “This is private property, mother fucker.”

“Sorry. Didn’t mean to trespass. I’m a historical site buff.” He lied.

“Still off-limits, so git.”

“Sure thing.” As Dracin went to move past the fellow, the very human fellow, he caught a whiff of vampire on his clothes—and Belle. It led to him snaring the guy by the shirt and lifting him to snarl, “What did you do to my woman?”

The wide-eyed fellow sputtered, “What woman?”

“I can smell her on you.”

“I didn’t hurt her,” the guy huffed. “Just helped carry her inside.”

His blood ran cold. “Why did she need to be carried?”

The man found his balls and spat, “She was trespassing and got what she deserved.”

Before Dracin knew what he’d do, the guy flew and hit the side of the wall before dropping to the ground. A bristling Dracin stalked to him and growled. “What did you do to Belle?”

The fellow tried to crawl.

A kick in the ribs put a stop to that. Dracin loomed over the fucker and snapped, “I won’t ask again.”

“Put her to sleep and took her inside,” the fucker finally admitted.

Dracin lost it. He grabbed the guy, lifted, and tossed him over the retaining wall into the rough Ottawa River, the current sucking him down. As if Dracin cared.

Belle was inside. Asleep. Vulnerable. Amongst monsters.

He couldn’t have controlled himself if he tried. His clothes shredded as he burst out of them, his massive dragon just as panicked—and enraged.

Took our mate.

Never mind she’d not been marked. She was his in every other way. And she needed his help. Since his size wouldn’t fit through a door or window, he headed back to the rear and the old loading dock with its massive opening to move cargo in and out. Rusted shut. Locked.

Didn’t matter. He dug his claws into the roll-down door and pulled, the squeal of metal satisfying even as it warned those inside. He tore it free of its moorings and tossed it into the river with a roar.

He entered a massive space, stripped of everything that used to make it a mill so it could be turned into a cesspool of bodies and graffiti.

The sunlight that spilled in illuminated enough of the dirty floor for him to see the place filled with chairs and couches that looked like they’d been dragged in from the dump. Lolling on them were drug-addled humans, who he ignored in favor of the hissing he heard from the deep shadows at the far end.

The vampires hid from the sunlight. Waited for him to step in far enough they could attack en masse.

As if he’d be so stupid.

He coiled his legs and jumped, heaving himself high enough to reach the windows overhead, blocked by plywood, an easy thing to punch out. He gripped the sill and dug in his back claws while he systematically brought light into this dark and evil place.

It served a few purposes. One, it kept the vampires from attacking him. Two, it should keep them distracted enough they’d leave Belle alone—or so he hoped, considering he’d yet to see or scent her. Third, it would cleanse this city of the foul creatures that thought they could feed on defenseless humans.

Sunlight spilled in, chasing away all the shadows and some of the vampires to keened, emitting high-pitched screams as their skin began to smolder. Others did their best to cover their faces and run for a set of narrow stairs going down.

He hesitated before following, his high vantage point allowing him to scan the entire room. There was nowhere for them to hide a body. Belle wasn’t on this floor. He dropped down, and the drugged humans, those alive at any rate, barely reacted to the presence of a dragon except for one who blabbered, “Eragon, take me away,” then giggled.

Dracin wouldn’t fit down the stairs as his beast. A naked man with no gun would stand no chance against the fanged. But what else could he do?

He flipped into his fleshy man shape, the chill of the place almost making him shiver. He pounded down the stairs to find himself in another stripped room. The ceiling was low, but the space was wide enough he could shift, only there was no one there. The vampires who’d fled had disappeared. Their tracks led to a door, new looking, solid, metal, and embedded in fresh concrete.

Maddening but not as maddening as the fact he scented Belle. She’d gone through that portal!

He shifted quickly and began trying to tear it from its hinges, but his claws screeched something horrible on the metal. Since he couldn’t rip it free, he resorted to pounding, denting, and slamming into it, but they’d built it to last, unlike the rest of this place. Chunks of the ceiling began to fall, a huge piece hitting his tail and drawing a hiss.

It didn’t stop him from trying to demolish his way through. He might have succeeded, too, if someone didn’t toss a Molotov cocktail into the basement with him. The bright flames that erupted were just the start of the inferno. More smashing bottles followed, the alcohol and its fire spreading and licking at the concrete. The heat and even the smoke were not the real issue. He could handle it better than most in his dragon form. The ceiling concerned him, though, as the fire didn’t stick to the floor. It climbed and destroyed, and an already delicate ruin groaned.

Time to go.

No.

We have to.If he were crushed, he wouldn’t be able to help Belle.

He fled, shifting shapes at the stairs, pounding up them just in time, as part of the floor collapsed into the basement, the whoosh of dust, smoke, and heat singing his backside. The junkies on the main level barely seemed to notice or care, but he tried to help, yelling at them to leave. Some roused enough to go; some didn’t.

He wasn’t risking his life for them.

He slammed through the only unbarricaded door and emerged into the sunlight, conscious he was naked and that the occupants in the condo across from the mill could see him if they looked. Nothing to be done for that but sprint to his truck, which had his pants in the backseat. He wasted time pulling them and a shirt on before jumping into his vehicle and slamming it into Drive. He managed to leave the secluded area before the sirens screamed past.

Left without his Belle.

But worse, with no idea how to find her.