Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

So , she had seen him in his true form. Derek propped his feet on the floor and rested his arms on his knees. Just what did this female want with him? Did she know he was the dragon who'd stood over her? Her gaze was calculating, her body tense. The answer was important to her. Well , he wanted answers, too. And he always got what he wanted.

" I do," Derek answered.

Kora lowered to the floor, propping her back against the opposite wall as if she tried to get as far from him as she could. It was laughable. All he had to do was stretch out his legs and touch her foot. But he gave her the space she seemed to need. It hadn't been that way a few hours earlier.

" Tell me about the dragon," she urged.

Derek let the statement hang between them for a long moment. " You don't intend to do something foolish, do you?"

" I want to know if it leaves the swamp."

All the fucking time . What would she do if she knew he was the very thing she asked about? " Dragons are part of our world."

" Unfortunately ."

Her words struck a nerve. It wasn't the first time he had heard such talk. Normally , it didn't bother him. But it cut painfully this time. " They do what they do. Like all animals."

" Are you not afraid?"

" Are you afraid of the beasts in the forest?"

She tucked her hair behind her ear. " I can defend myself against them."

" Even a brineling?" The huge, smelly animals had a single-minded focus when they set their sights on someone. They never quit until they killed what they were after. Their hide was too thick for any human weapons, making them extremely dangerous predators.

" I avoid them. Just as I avoid the dragons. Can you tell me if the dragon leaves?"

" It does."

" Do you know where it goes?"

It was obvious she was after something in particular. " I do not."

" Have you heard of Stonemore ?"

" Everyone has."

" Have you been to the city?"

Things were getting more interesting by the moment. He had walked the city once before Villette thought it better if others didn't see him. " I have."

" What can you tell me about it?"

" It's overcrowded and loud."

" Is it easy to get past the guards at the gate?"

He tilted his head, regarding her as he picked through her wording. " You're looking for someone."

" I am."

" And you think they're in the city?"

" I know they are," she replied.

Derek scratched his chin. Stonemore was Villette's domain. He didn't want Kora anywhere near the city, but he could see by the stubborn lift of her chin that nothing would dissuade her. " The guards determine who gets in."

She nodded absently, her gaze briefly dropping to the floor. " Is there any other way to get into the city?"

There were several ways, but he wouldn't share them with anyone. Not even Kora . " There are soldiers everywhere in the city. There's no getting around them."

" How hard is it to get in?"

The more questions she asked, the more worried he became. He recalled touching her side where he had seen the sword embedded. There wasn't any sign there had been an injury. She didn't just come back to life. All her wounds had vanished as if they never were. Kora was just the type to draw Villette's attention. He had seen it before, and it rarely turned out well for the individual.

He thought about how Kora had told him to hide from the soldiers. He hadn't saved her from death, but he could keep her away from Villette .

" Getting through the gate is just the first obstacle. Each level is controlled by soldiers, and they can close it off at any time. If the one you're looking for is on the lower levels, you should be all right."

Kora pressed her lips together. " How do I get to the upper levels?"

" Only the wealthy are given access."

She leaned her head against the wall and looked at the ceiling, seemingly lost in thought.

Derek turned the ritbit over on the spit. The growling of Kora's stomach had sent him out into the night to hunt. He had used his magic to create the bag of food but then decided to get fresh meat. She had survived on berries and small animals in the days he had observed her.

He hadn't meant to stay. He'd intended to drop off the meat and leave, but something about seeing Kora standing in the doorway and how she looked at him… He craved her taste even now.

She had been a wild and sensual lover, giving as good as she got. Demanding as much as he. The fact that he had been content to hold her as she slept had surprised him.

But not nearly as much as the satisfaction that filled him after their first encounter. She had touched him in ways he hadn't believed possible. He had come harder than ever.

And was startled to find that he had been satisfied. Truly and utterly satiated. It hadn't been emptiness that had him reaching for her again but hunger to see if he could replicate the feeling.

And he had.

" Maybe this person doesn't want to be found," he said into the silence.

" I have to do this."

" That's why you've come to the mountains?"

She raised her head to look at him. " Aye ."

" This isn't a good place." He should know. He was responsible for causing the stark terror among the humans.

" Why do you remain?"

" Because I must."

She flashed him a quick grin that held no mirth. " I , too, must be here."

They fell into silence then. Neither moved until the meat had cooked. Derek took the ritbit off the spit and pulled off a large piece before handing it to Kora .

He couldn't stop thinking about her scent. It was familiar, but he couldn't place it no matter how he searched his mind. He would, though. He wanted to know what she was. He didn't know about any humans who could come back from death.

Derek hadn't cared about any species—magical or not—other than his. His entire purpose was to free the dragons from their captors once and for all. If that meant wiping out every human, then he would do it. Villette had a plan, and he was following it. Though it was taking longer than he liked.

There had been setbacks, which only incensed him more. He had been patient, but every day his kin were trapped was another day of torment. Villette promised her plan was nearly ready, but that was before she got injured. She was a Star Person . Part of a group of beings more powerful and formidable than any other in the universe.

He had seen her heal serious wounds, but she never spoke of the burns on her neck and face. Now , she had more. Despite her potent magic, Star People could be killed. If she died, then everything he had fought for all these centuries would be for nothing. He couldn't lose her. Villette was the only Star Person willing to free the dragons.

Derek slid his gaze to Kora . Who was within Stonemore's gates that drew her to the city? He didn't know why anyone went. It was loud and smelly. Even in the bowels of the mountain, he was overcome by the taint of the place. The starving and needy, the religious fanatics who believed everyone should worship their gods, the swindlers and charlatans, and the soldiers taking power however they could.

Villette welcomed them all. He didn't understand why she encouraged humans to visit the city. He had asked once, but she hadn't answered.

" There's a back entrance," Kora said. " I know there is."

Derek quirked a brow. " How do you know that?"

" Someone told me."

" Did they tell you where it is?"

She sighed. " Nay ."

" Stonemore's army is huge. Like I said, there are soldiers everywhere—as you've seen."

" Destroying villages. I know. They'll come for yours soon."

He shrugged. " It isn't mine."

" You wouldn't protect the people within? They're innocent."

" No one is innocent."

She stretched her legs out and crossed them at the ankles. " That's a bold statement."

" It's the truth."

" Maybe ," she conceded. " I think most people are doing the best they can. The Divine attacking villages is solely about power. The soldiers kill and maim, and the survivors are told to go to the city."

Derek didn't reply. There was nothing to say. Everything she said was the truth. There were parts she didn't know, but he doubted learning them would cause her to feel differently about Stonemore or Villette .

Or him.

" How much power does one ruler need?"

He ran a hand down his face. " Are you sure the one you're searching for is in the city?"

" Positive ."

" Can you get a message to them and lure them out?"

Kora shook her head.

" I take it they don't know you're coming?"

" They do not."

Derek understood then. He should have pieced it together sooner. " You're attempting to locate an enemy."

" Does that bother you?"

" It does not. My warning still stands. Don't go."

" I didn't come all this way for nothing."

He slowly released a breath. " What do you plan to do with this nemesis?"

" I'm going to exact my revenge."

" You're going to kill them."

She nodded once.

Derek could give her a speech about how retaliation was never the answer, but he thought that was bollocks anyway. His entire life had been about exacting payback on those holding the dragons prisoner. He was many things, but he wasn't a hypocrite.

" You're going to stand out," he told her. " Not just the way you dress, but your manner."

" Then give me all the information I need. I'll change my clothes. I'll do whatever it takes."

And there it was. She had given him the means to ensure she was caught the moment she entered the gates, thereby preventing her from seeking whoever she was after. If he did that, it would alert Villette .

He wouldn't have hesitated to notify Villette of her presence before. But Kora had shown him kindness and lost her life in the process. It wasn't just that he needed to discover what she was. For the first time, he couldn't shake the feeling that he owed her. At the very least, he should return the favor.

Maybe Kora was someone dangerous. She might even be a species that endangered the freedom of his kin, but he would uncover that for himself. He didn't know why it was so important, but it was. It became clear from the instant of their first kiss. Villette need never know about any of it.

" You'd be a fool to take anyone's word," Derek told her.

Her lips curved into a half-smile. " I asked for information. I never said I'd believe you."

" With that attitude, you just might survive the city."

" Stonemore has taken in people from many villages. They'll dress and act differently. I'll blend fine."

He grinned and bowed his head to her. " Right you are."

" Does that mean you'll tell me about the city?"

Derek only knew what he heard from others. It had been ages since he had actually walked Stonemore's streets. Villette had made it clear she didn't want anyone to see them together and word to get back to those holding the dragons. But that didn't mean he couldn't go to the city.

" Derek ?"

He was supposed to guard the eggs, but he had watched over them for several hundred years now. No one had come to steal them, and they hadn't hatched. His magic protected them. No one would get near them. The cuff allowed him to check on them whenever he wanted.

A small frown wrinkled Kora's brow as she watched him. She was capable, and whatever magic she had gave her an advantage. How long would that last when she was killed inside Stonemore's gates and came back to life?

" I'll do better than tell you. I'll take you."