16. Kara

His scent surrounds me as does his warmth. I've never felt so comfortable, so relaxed, so very much like I'm in the one place I'm meant to be. So safe…so cherished. I nuzzle into Drago's chest as he settles us into bed.

Part of me doesn't trust it. I think about fighting him. About keeping up my walls, but it's so damn exhausting. I want to be free with him and have this feeling forever. I've never felt more me than when I'm with him. I don't know whether I'll ever truly believe that he loves me. It's possible I'll always question that he only wants me for the possibility of having dragonlings. Is that so bad though? If I'm happy? Can't I just pretend that I believe him? I want to so badly. I want to believe that this pull I have deep inside my chest to be close to him and to open myself up to him is felt by him too. With the nagging thoughts refusing to give me peace, I peer up through my thick lashes and find him staring at me.

"Treasure." He leans down to kiss me and takes my jaw in his hand. Hearing that name on his lips sounding like devotion breaks my last wall. I crumble beneath his touch. He nips my bottom lip and then suckles it. I smile as he pulls away from me. He keeps his hand on my chin and then rests his forehead on mine with his eyes closed.

His deep masculine voice is only a murmur as he commands, "Tell me you believe me, Kara."

"That I believe what?" I ask although I'm all too aware.

"That you believe I love you."

Before I can answer him, a commotion comes from somewhere in the castle: a deadly scream and one filled with terror. A chill runs through my body as the two of us jump from where we are, both of us staring at the door as if it would tell us what happened just now.

"Stay," Drago commands me and I look at him like he's lost his mind. "Behind me." He acts like he's just finishing his sentence. He swallows thickly as he climbs from bed and dresses quickly.

I do as he says, all the while my heart races.

All the comfort I felt vanishes as we walk quickly down the hall to the wide spiral staircase. My bare feet pad on the cold stone floor. The noises of people gasping and the shifters yelling orders grow louder and louder.

I remember the worry in Mrs. Sarah's comment, and it strikes me that Drago's brothers may not have come back alone. My grip is clammy on the iron railing of the staircase as I peek over the banister and see Cyrus is on the ground and has a death grip on his leg. He's naked, so he obviously just shifted. As we get closer, I smell charred flesh and it nearly makes me gag. Cyrus's leg is blackened and bloodied. It all comes into view as if it's slow motion. Galen hovers over him and behind both of them is what appears to be a large canvas bag with a drawstring top. It could easily fit a body and judging by the muffled cries coming from it and the movement within it, that's exactly what it contains.

Holy fuck. My hand flies to my mouth as I stay where I am on the staircase. Numbly, I stand dumbfounded watching the scene play out before me. My legs lock and Drago leaves me near the top of the stairs as he marches downward to figure out what the hell is going on.

"What happened?" Drago's demand is hard although concern is etched on his face. A healer, draped in deep burgundy, wipes away the blood from Cyrus's leg and speaks spells I've never heard to numb the pain. Servants fill the room slowly but keep their distance. They all watch with terror filled eyes. No one dares to speak.

"The sorcerer saw us." Galen's voice is calm although his chest is heaving. Even from here I can see he's covered in sweat from head to toe. A servant scuttles forward with his head bowed to pass Galen his clothes and then leans down to hand Cyrus the same. Galen takes the clothes with one hand and nods in thanks before heaving in a ragged breath and shoving a leg into the pants.

They've just come back. From the Authority. The weight of the realization makes my chest hurt. Isabella. My eyes refuse to leave the bag.

"Did they follow you?" Drago's eyes narrow before he takes a quick glance at me. His fear and tension are palpable but quickly extinguished when both Cyrus and Galen shake their heads no.

"Alec tried. We were almost out with no one even knowing," Cyrus answers, his voice quieting as he glances down at his leg.

"One of the women screamed and called for Alec." Galen walks to the bag, his footsteps foreboding. Unconsciously I take a step back, seeing the side of the bag, pierced and soaked in dark red. A talon. Blood. I attempt to take another step back, but I can't. As if simply not seeing would make it all go away.

"He got me pretty good. But we got them," Cyrus continues with a tight smile, although he winces as the healer removes pieces of his charred skin. His gruff groan echoes his pain throughout the hall. He waves the healer away and inhales deeply before blowing out a dusting of green through the air. The green fog seems to sparkle as it fades in the air and falls onto his leg. My vision is blocked as more and more servants gather below, hovering around the scene.

"What do you mean you got them? I thought there was only one?" Drago questions them. Looking between the two before his eyes settle on the large canvas sack.

"I didn't know which one was Isabella." Galen opens the bag and two women, gagged and bound at the ankles, knees, and wrists, fall out. Only one woman is alive and struggling. The other woman is limp, and her chest is still. Her eyes are closed, but her skin is so pale it is nearly gray. As she lands on the cold, hard ground, blood smears on the ground and pools around her.

My entire body goes cold.

A high-pitched scream fills the space as my eyes widen and my knees go weak. I barely register that the sound is coming from me. They killed her. Several servants come to help me but I push them all away. I can't get the image of her falling lifeless to the floor out of my head. My hands clasp over my mouth as I shake my head in denial.

"Help her!" Galen screams. All three men crowd around the two women on the floor. A servant gets between them and pulls the woman who's alive and screaming through the gag away from the other. The poor young woman is hysterical and frantically trying to get free.

"Come with me dear." I almost shove against the small woman leading me away. But then I see her pale blue eyes pleading with me. Screams carry through the room. Yelling and shouting; several healers run into the room. I cry into Mrs. Sarah's arms as she walks me back to Drago's bedchambers.

I can hear them trying to save her, shouting at one another, but it all turns to white noise. How can you save someone who's already gone?

With my heartunable to stop racing, I pace the front of the door holding onto my crossed arms. I'm fucking freezing. I swallow the lump growing in my throat. At least I'm alive. Tears leak out of the corners of my eyes. I can't close them, when I do, I see her.

"She'll be all right dear." I stare at Mrs. Sarah, who has made herself at home in the bedroom, with disbelief and even a sense of betrayal. They killed her.

"How can you say that?" I'm barely able to speak with my throat being so dry and closed.

She stops rocking and looks at me with the sincerest eyes. "Because I know she'll be alright. Did you see her? Really see her?"

"Yes!" I scream and then regret yelling. My hands fist in my hair. "I can't stop seeing her."

"She was frozen, dear. Galen merely froze her. She'll be all right." I look back at her with wide eyes and then shake my head in disbelief.

"No she was bleeding."

"He froze her, dear. She can still be injured," she explains. "I'm sure he froze her before they left. To keep her quiet maybe? I'm not sure why. But she was only frozen not dead. It may seem as though she has lost her life, but I assure you my dear, Drago will walk through those doors any minute now and confirm what I'm telling you."

"Then why were they screaming?" I ask.

Her eyes narrow at me as if it's obvious. "She was hurt." The sound of the door opening startles me; I jump away from it and then see Drago and I run straight into his chest, wrapping my arms around him.

"There, there, treasure. Everything's all right."

I pull away from him and search his face for the truth. In a whisper, I ask, "Is she dead?"

"She's alive. I'm sorry you had to see that. She's all right now. Cyrus has healed her cut. I'm not sure he'll ever forgive himself, but Taryn will be just fine."

"Taryn?"

He gives me a tight smile and then leaves me to walk to the bathroom as he says under his breath, "Yes Taryn."

Mrs. Sarah takes that as her cue to get the hell out and I don't blame her. Drago runs his hands through his hair.

"What happened?" I question as Mrs. Sarah closes the door behind me and I slowly make my way to Drago. He's hunched over the sink, the faucet running. His eyes shine with so much emotion it's hard to know what he's thinking.

"Drago," I repeat, daring to get closer to him. "What happened?"

Tilting his head, he looks back at me and heaves in a deep breath as if he doesn't want to tell me. He runs a hand down his face before he speaks. "When they got there, they found Taryn and Isabella together and decided to take them both because they were both in heat."

"In heat?" I question and a new fear slows my pulse.

"Yes."

"Like I was?" I ask him and once again pull my arms over my chest.

"Yes," he answers and then stands up straighter.

"My brothers offered me the chance to court them, and I swear I said no, treasure. I told them you were my mate." He shakes his head, his eyes closed and his hands on his temples. "I actually punched Galen in the jaw for asking me. He knows I chose you as my mate and he had the fucking balls to question it."

Relief is instant as my heart swells.

"You told them I'm your mate?" I ask him although I know that's exactly what he just said.

"Yes," he answers me, and I can't help the smile that breaks across my face.

"So even though I can't give you dragonlings, you still want me?"

"Of course." He smiles the sexiest grin I've ever seen as he walks toward me and wraps his arms around my waist. "I told you I love you."

I look up at him to ask, "Is she really okay?"

"Health wise they're fine." He swallows down whatever else he was going to say, and I can only imagine. His brothers kidnapped them. Injured them. And now they're locked away in a strange castle by magical beasts.

"Before you say anything, I want you to stay out of it," Drago tells me, and my eyes drop to the floor and then come back to his.

With his eyes piercing mine, he tells me, "There are things you do not understand."

"Then make me understand."

His hardened expression cracks and a smirk shows itself. "I intend to, but until then, stay away from my brothers and the women."

With a single nod, I reluctantly agree...for now.