Blood of Dragons Read online

  Handwritten scrawl covers the bottom half of the blank sheet, the blue ink sharp and neatly drawn.

  Miss Quinn—

  Mr. Sloane’s file is the most interesting of them all. I would be happy to give it to you in exchange for a favor. Any information you need, you have but to ask. We will not chase you. We will not corner you. We will not trap you. We don’t need to resort to such measures because our allies come to us willingly. Just remember that, when you do reach out to us, our help does not come cheap.

  —Aki

  I frown, deeply annoyed. Anything they want from me wouldn’t be good, and I don’t like the idea of owing a man like Aki Nabal a favor.

  It concerns me how much they know—and how close they are to finding out my men’s biggest secrets. I find it hard to believe they have nothing on me, and the curious itch to know more burns within.

  If they find out I’m a Spectre, I’m screwed. Even worse—what if they share that little bit of data with the world?

  I would be dead, and anyone defending me would die at my side.

  Furious, I summon my magic into my fingers. As I hold the papers, they burn to ash in my hands. The edges crumble as I destroy everything the Nabal gave me.

  I’ve memorized it all, anyway.

  This was a power play, and it worked. They left me feeling unsettled, my mind buzzing with the possibilities of what this could mean. What they know. What they might do with that information.

  They know who I care about. They know some of our weaknesses, and may be close to learning others.

  And, what’s most worrisome of all, is they know who Levi really is—even as he slowly forgets.

  Chapter Seventeen

  As the night wears on, I can’t sleep.

  I sigh and rest my head on Drew’s shoulder as I lay beside him. Tenderly, I press my ear against his warm skin as his strong fingers trace the curve of my spine.

  “You’re still awake, huh?” he asks.

  I nod, my eyes stinging a little with exhaustion as I rest against him. Each of his breaths soothes me, assuring me that somehow everything will be okay as long as we’re all together.

  The five of us.

  “The Nabal papers?” Drew prods.

  Though in the past I would have kept something like that to myself, I decided to share what I’d learned. Part of me wished I hadn’t burned the papers in my anger, but I was still able to recite everything effortlessly.

  Jace was… displeased.

  Drew wasn’t too overjoyed with any of it, either, but he immediately texted his realtor to sell his mansion in Malibu.

  I run my finger over Drew’s hard pecs. “Do you really think the Nabal have something on Levi?”

  “I wouldn’t be surprised.”

  I pause, simmering on what to do. “Would he have information on how to turn Levi human again?”

  Drew sighs and grabs my waist, lifting me effortlessly on top of him. I chuckle as the powerful shifter maneuvers me into position, my legs spread across his hips. He adjusts himself, not-so-subtly pressing his hips against mine as he flashes me that trademark smirk. I lean my weight on my palms, one on either side of his head as he holds my hips firmly in place. My hair cascades over one shoulder as I study his handsome face, wondering what exactly he’s up to.

  “Nothing Nabal has is worth what he charges for it,” Drew says, his smile faltering as he stares deep into my eyes. “The man is smart, but whether it’s money or favors, he asks for too much. Every time.”

  I sigh, tilting my head as I shake the temptation to ask anyway. Levi just doesn’t have much time, and I would do just about anything to save him.

  “Rory,” Drew says again, his voice more urgent than before. “I mean it. Anything he has—it would be incomplete at best. It wouldn’t help you.”

  “Maybe,” I admit.

  “It’s going to be fine,” Drew says with a weary sigh as he pulls me to his chest. He cradles my head with his powerful hand, and in this position, I feel like I could finally sleep.

  My eyes slowly drift closed as Drew holds me tight, his strong fingers weaving occasionally through my hair while I lay on top of him.

  “You need to demonstrate a bit of your power tomorrow,” Drew eventually says, his deep voice almost booming through the silence.

  I yawn, barely able to stay awake. “What do you think the bit with the table was for?”

  He chuckles. “I mean your fury. They need to know you can kill. That you’re willing to, if they push you.”

  “Why?” I prod, lifting my head to study his face. “What have you overheard?”

  Drew’s jaw tenses slightly as he presses his lips together, refusing to answer. He simply watches me, that all-too-familiar expression on his face—the one that makes it clear I’m not getting a word out of him.

  I tilt my head, eyes narrowing slightly in annoyance. “Oh, you want to play that game?”

  With a coy smile, I inch my knees a little farther up his body so I can get some leverage. I lean back and gently rock my entrance along the bulge in his pants, knowing full well the best way to torture him for information is to tease him mercilessly.

  He groans and looks away, trying to hide the smirk on his face as I toy with him.

  “Oh, you don’t like this?” I ask, sitting upright. The movement presses the warm space between my thighs right against his hardening cock. The layers of fabric between us are barely enough to restrain him.

  “Rory, play nice,” he chides me.

  “I am playing nice.” I slowly lift the edges of my shirt, revealing my abdomen inch by tantalizing inch as I hint at what else he might get to see—if he behaves.

  The man loves to be teased, and right now, this is utter torment.

  “Tell me what you know,” I demand, grinning. “Tell me, and maybe I’ll reward you for your trouble.”

  Instead of answering, a rough and almost primal growl escapes the fire dragon underneath me. He grabs my hips and flips me onto my back in one powerful motion.

  Instantly, he’s above me, his hands on my knees. Without a hint of effort, he pries my legs open and tugs me toward him, until my entrance presses against the thick cock in his pants.

  I click my tongue in mock disappointment. “You can’t have your way with me until you spill your guts.”

  He lets out a frustrated groan and laughs. “Gods, you’re a master at this.”

  I wink flirtatiously.

  “Curse the power you have over me, woman.” His voice is dark and deep, and he lays on my chest. His forehead presses against mine, and I feel delightfully dominated by him as he sandwiches me between his muscled body and the mattress.

  “You like it,” I whisper in his ear.

  “A little.” He chuckles and leans his mouth against my ear. “You want to know what I’ve overheard?”

  “Very much so.”

  “The Bane have begun to orchestrate a kidnapping attempt and are looking for one of the staff they can buy off to help them.” Drew’s grip on me tightens possessively. “Obviously, Greaves has been forewarned.”

  “What did he say?”

  “That he would personally shoot whoever sells him out,” Drew says casually.

  I’m surprised—I knew Reggie could hold his own, but that seems brutal for a balding and overweight middle-aged man.

  Drew chuckles. “Greaves is a badass, Rory. Don’t underestimate him.”

  “Note to self,” I say with a bemused shrug. “What else?”

  “The Andusk have been trying to figure out how to whisk you away, but they fear they lost their chance.”

  “The bathroom?”

  “Yeah,” Drew nods. “Something about a tracker?”

  “She gave me a necklace, and I figured it out before I even left the bathroom.”

  “I’m not surprised.” Drew grins down at me with pride in his eyes.

  I smile, loving the way he looks at me. “Anything else?”

  “My father wants to carry you off in his
talons, of course,” Drew says with an aggravated eye roll. “I’ve heard rumors he’s holding a contest to see who can bring you in first, but there’s nothing confirmed.”

  “Wouldn’t surprise me,” I admit with a huff. “One golden ticket for whoever can manage the task.”

  Drew chuckles.

  “I guess that’s why Jace is okay with this?” I ask, gesturing between us.

  The fire dragon on top of me nods. “He doesn’t want to think about it, and I’m sure he likes to imagine I’m spending the night on the floor. As long as you’re safe, he’s happy.”

  “He’s going to go crazy if he doesn’t get some sleep.”

  Drew snorts derisively. “The man is already crazy.”

  I playfully smack Drew’s shoulder. “Be nice.”

  “I’m always nice,” the fire dragon says with a wicked grin.

  “Ha! Right.” I relax my head on the blanket beneath me, my eyes briefly glazing over as I think about tomorrow. “What should I do?”

  “To demonstrate your power?” Drew shrugs. “Can you shift, yet?”

  I frown and tilt my head away, frustrated with the answer.

  “It’s fine,” he assures me, gently brushing his nose against my cheek. “If you can’t shift, just blow something up.”

  I grin. “Now that I can do.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  The next day, I dress in a far more comfortable outfit. A black shirt clings to my curves, the sleeves hanging off my shoulders with an elegant droop. My boots crunch over the grass as I march through the field in black tights, my gun strapped to my waist.

  Between my gun and the hidden daggers along every inch of my body, I’m armed to the teeth and ready for whatever the day has in store.

  A few boulders line the edge of the woods, the largest of which sits closer to the field where the Bosses are gathered. If I blow that up, I won’t catch the forest on fire.

  Lovely. Time for a little show.

  Drew, Tucker, and Jace walk calmly beside me, while Levi soars overhead. The Bosses and the select few chosen to join each of them already wait in the field, just as I asked Reggie to orchestrate.

  “Care to explain why we’re outside?” Jett Darrington snaps impatiently, his glare trained on me as I near.

  “What’s the matter?” I ask calmly. “Allergic to the sun?”

  He tilts his head in annoyance, but doesn’t bother replying.

  As I join the shifters in the field, Aki Nabal catches my eye. He watches me with an odd expression I can’t quite place—somewhere between expectation and curiosity.

  He must be waiting for some sign that I read his note, or some unspoken request to talk more later.

  The Nabal Boss won’t get it.

  “I’ve decided to offer a little demonstration,” I say to the gathered crowd. “It’s come to my attention that some of you think I can be holed away or taken.” I glare briefly in Elizabeth’s direction, and my eyes flit just as quickly toward Victor Bane. “I wanted to set the record straight.”

  Jett scoffs. “And how do you—”

  Before he can finish, I raise my palm and aim toward the boulder sitting nearby. My magic courses instantly through my blood, earth-shattering and overwhelming as it burns through me.

  In a blinding bolt of light, I release a blast of my magic at the rock, shattering the giant stone to rubble.

  The boom echoes through the field and forest. A moment later, the canopy shivers—and I’m fairly certain that’s not from my blast.

  It would seem the soldiers in the woods are itching to see what all the commotion is about.

  As everyone gapes at the destroyed boulder, I catch the barest hint of a proud smirk on Harper’s face. It’s gone in a flash, almost instantly replaced by her stoic mask, but I’m a tad grateful I caught it.

  It’s nice to know she doesn’t think of me as something to control.

  “I’m not a trophy,” I say simply to the gathered leaders. “I’m not a prize. I don’t want this to become anything big. No battles, no blood. I just want to be left alone, but if any of you come after me, it will be war.”

  In the silence that follows, each Boss’s gaze slowly drifts back to me. Harper and Isaac Palarne don’t betray a single emotion. Victor Bane and Elizabeth watch me warily, but Jett Darrington and Aki Nabal look almost—eager.

  Oh that’s just great.

  I briefly glare at Drew, frowning at him and wondering if he gave me bad advice, but he doesn’t move. He continues to scan the Bosses before us, his face stoic and unreadable as ever.

  With an annoyed sigh, I return my attention to the leaders. “I would be willing to build alliances over time,” I continue, walking through the rehearsed speech Drew and Jace helped me create last night. “Maybe even—”

  “How about a little duel?” Jett interrupts, grinning as he rubs his hands together. “Just a lighthearted match, nothing serious. Nothing at stake.”

  Oh, there’s something at stake. There always is during any interaction with a dragon shifter.

  “Just you?” I ask, admittedly confused.

  “No, no.” He waves the thought away. “All six of us. I know how to share,” he adds with a sneer.

  I frown, slightly baffled by the suggestion. I’m not even sure what a duel with dragons would look like, since I can’t shift.

  Besides, this is just a bad idea all around. If I take them on while they’re in human form, they would detect my lifetime of training, same as Harper did when she spotted me sparring with Jace back at the dojo. And if I fight them in their dragon forms, I’ll have no choice but to use my power—all of it.

  They could see too much. I can’t let them know my limits or weaknesses.

  “That’s not necessary,” Drew barks from behind me, his voice curt and even more intimidating than usual.

  “Nonsense. That sounds delightful!” Elizabeth Andusk says, clapping as if someone offered to go get cake instead of instigating a full-on sparring match. “A little duel, just the seven of us.”

  “What a joke,” Harper snaps. She saunters between Jett and Elizabeth, wrinkling her nose with disdain as she glares between the two of them. “Did you not see the blast just now? She has nothing to prove to us.”

  “Of course you think that,” Elizabeth huffs. “You’ve already seen what she can do. She’s been at your embassy, after all.”

  “I’ve kept myself at an arm’s length, and you know it,” Harper snaps back, her body tensing.

  “I agree with Boss Fairfax,” Isaac Palarne says solemnly. “The dragon vessel owes us nothing, much less such a brutish—”

  “No one cares,” Victor Bane rudely interrupts, his voice dismissive. “Face it, Palarne. Your little attempts to butter the Quinn girl up aren’t working.”

  “You’ll do well to shut your mouth,” Isaac says sternly, arms crossed as he glares a dire warning to the Bane Boss.

  I stiffen, not entirely sure what’s happening right now. All I can tell is this will get ugly if left unchecked.

  Jace appears beside me and sets a hand on my shoulder while the six of them bicker. “I will absolutely not allow—”

  “What are you scared of, Goodwin?” Victor Bane grins, apparently eager for an excuse to look away from Isaac. I can practically feel the smarmy arrogance rolling off of him. “Afraid we’ll break her that easily?”

  “I challenge you, Rory Quinn, to a formal duel,” Jett Darrington interjects, squaring his shoulders as he smirks at me. “It’ll be nothing more than a friendly little scuffle. Scouts honor.” He winks.

  It would seem I’m outnumbered.

  If I say no—if I walk away from a challenge with dragons—it’s the equivalent of painting a target on my back. They’ll jump on the chance to call me weak. Afraid. They will have no respect for any boundaries I set, and I will walk away from this whole mess in a worse situation than when I started.

  If I say yes, they will use the opportunity to size me up. Learn my weaknesses. Assess and disco
ver things about my fighting style they shouldn’t know.

  Damned if I do, damned if I don’t.

  “Rory, don’t do this,” Jace says quietly into my ear. He leans forward, his hand still firmly on my shoulder. “This could end badly.”

  “It will end badly either way,” Drew interjects softly on the other side of me. He leans in, his voice low. “She can take them, Jace.”

  “They’re six Bosses—”

  “And she’s the dragon vessel,” Drew interrupts. “Give her some damn credit.”

  “Guys, stop.” I wave them away, not able to take their bickering right now. “Drew, give me a rundown of the rules.”

  “Sparring match, basically.” Drew leans toward me with his hand covering his mouth to hide what he’s saying from the Bosses still bickering in front of us. “One on one. They’ll take turns. Nothing below the belt, no death blows. Dragons play rough, though. People get hurt in these fights.”

  Hmm.

  I lift my hand, delicately placing it over my mouth so that none of the Bosses can read my lips. “Jace, what is the worst case, here?”

  “You die.”

  I roll my eyes. “Then they won’t get my magic,” I point out, trying to make him think rationally. “Tell me the real worst-case scenario.”

  “One of them flies off with you.”

  With a shake of my head, I dismiss it. Doing that to a guest of the Fairfax embassy would mean instantly declaring war—not to mention the implications of stealing me away when everyone else wants to do the same thing. Each of them is chomping at the bit for any reason to duke it out with each other to control me.

  That alone gives me an advantage over the rest of them.

  “Can a blow from one of them kill my dragon?” I ask, catching Jace’s eye.

  He sighs deeply, and I see him debate whether or not to answer. “No,” he eventually admits.

  “I came here to find out who I’m up against,” I remind him, my gaze never wavering. “I think it’s time I finally do just that.”

  Jace frowns. “This is a dangerous way to do it.”

  “Was there ever a safe way?”