The Dragon's Mate, page 4
Conley was alone, the last one up, and energy coursed through his body. His dragon didn’t know if it wanted to go for a flight or stay by Nyx’s side. If he remained in the house, he was sure he would try to wake Nyx.
With his mind made up, he headed for the balcony off the kitchen. He stepped out onto the deck and quickly took his clothes off. Seconds later, his dragon ripped through his body as he dove off the side of the house.
Free. He dove until the tip of his wings skimmed the cold water. Conley used his time to check on his house and Kirin’s. The flight to his home wasn’t too far. Dark clouds covered the moon, but his shifter sight made it easy for him to see through the night sky.
Once he’d landed on his deck, he dressed in the spare clothes he kept outside for such occasions. Conley held his hand up to the black monitor on the back of the house. The lock clicked, and he slid the door open.
His house was a true bachelor pad. It wasn’t decorated, with just a big-screen TV and a couch in his living room. He hadn’t bothered to buy a kitchen table. His dragon had been more concerned over the years with finding a mate than making sure his home was ready for one. Conley couldn’t do anything at the moment to make his house feel like a home, but the place had good bones. He hoped she would like it.
He walked down the hall to his bedroom and opened his top dresser drawer. Inside was a small black box. He shoved it into a backpack along with a few days’ worth of clothes and headed back to the patio. The trip had been quick, and his dragon was already pushing to go back to Nyx.
Conley changed back into his dragon and grabbed the backpack between his teeth before taking flight. He didn’t have all the answers, but he hoped Nyx would accept the gift his dragon wanted her to have.
5
Nyx
Nyx’s body hurt as she stretched in bed. Sun streamed through the wall of windows. The view of the mountainside was breathtaking. Her last home was so close to her neighbor’s she could stick her arm out the window and touch the house. She could get used to the new view of spruce trees lightly dusted with snow.
The last month and a half flashed through her mind, followed by the violet eyes of the man who’d held her in his arms. Last night, Talia had smiled from ear to ear as she’d talked about her mate. Nyx still couldn’t believe her best friend had found her soul mate.
That wasn’t an option for Nyx. She would be alone for the rest of her life. She shook her head.
On the nightstand, she found a note: Ibuprofen. Take them. Water too. She saw the pills and the glass of water. Grateful to whoever thought to take care of her, she swallowed the pills and the cold liquid.
Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and felt around with her mind. Everything was still and quiet. She guessed that must mean everyone was still asleep. She wondered what she could do to entertain herself while she waited to see Talia.
Nyx hoped the pills would kick in soon. She didn’t know how she would deal with a throbbing head and keeping her powers under control. She’d always worked hard not to be around many people at a time. When she grocery shopped, she went at night, and everything else she needed, she ordered off Amazon.
Not being able to paint for the last month and a half had left her nerves on end. Escaping into the canvas and painting kept her sane and her powers under control. Glancing out the windows again, she really wished for a blank canvas. The view of the valley in the winter was breathtaking. Snow lightly fell from the sky.
Standing, she started toward the door only to realize that the guy from the night before was asleep in a chair in the corner of her room. Nyx blinked a couple of times and ran her eyes over the sexy man. He wore a scowl as he slept, but even that made him look hot as hell.
She ran her tongue over her lips as she looked at him. His black T-shirt stretched across his broad chest. Damn. The man was too sexy for his own good. Tattoos covered both of his arms. She wanted to run her fingers over the vibrant designs. Last night he’d been clean-shaven. Now a five o’clock scruff covered his chiseled jaw. A deep rumble sound from his chest. It didn’t scare her like she thought it would. No, she wanted to know why the dragon was upset.
His violet eyes popped open, and the deep frown turned into a cocky smile. “Good morning, my treasure.”
“Really, dude,” she snapped at him. “I’m nobody’s treasure, and why are you sleeping in my room?” She glared at him. Their eyes met for a second, and something strange came over her.
The man stood up and moved toward her like a wolf hunting its prey. She wasn’t sure what dragons killed, maybe women in castles. His violet eyes were so intense, she looked away—at the floor, anything but him.
He chuckled. “Treasure, you’re in my room. I figured you wouldn’t want me to climb in bed with you, so I slept in the chair in the corner. Maybe we can take turns in bed or share,” he joked. When she glared at him, he held up his hands. “I didn’t think you’d be amenable to sharing it with me. Yet.”
“Try ever.” She knew it was a lie, but she needed to keep her heart locked away. It wouldn’t be fair to anyone to saddle them with her baggage, even if it was a sexy-as-hell dragon with muscles she wanted to run her hands over. “And stop calling me treasure. My name is Nyx.”
“Would you prefer goddess? It is what your name means, goddess of night.”
Her cheeks burned at the mention of her name’s meaning. Not many people knew it. Her dad had always said she was their miracle delivered from the gods. They’d tried for years to have a kid, and it had never happened until Nyx, so they’d named her after the goddess of night.
“How about Nyx, dude?”
“Conley.” He held out his hand.
She knew if she touched him, she wouldn’t be able to stop herself from wanting more. “I like dude better.” It helped keep a distance between them, and she needed every advantage she could find because his smile was dangerously compelling.
“You know you can’t fight it forever.”
“Fight what?” She knew exactly what he was talking about, but she wasn’t going to let on that she knew.
He stepped forward, and she took a step back. Conley was already too close. She could smell his fresh-pine scent along with a faint smell of a firewood at Christmas. It made her think of her mom during the holidays.
Conley crossed his arms, and his shirt tightened around his biceps, showing more of the colorful picture on his arms. She shoved her hands into her pockets so she wouldn’t reach out and touch him.
* * *
Conley
“We can play it your way.” He knew what she was doing. Nyx was intentionally pushing him away and trying to make him doubt their future. It wasn’t going to work. He wasn’t going to be tricked into thinking that his dragon was wrong. His dragon knew who he was supposed to be with. Like his dragon, he was strong and determined. Unlike his dragon, he was patient. He could feel the pressure building in him, the frustration as he struggled to keep his dragon in check when his dragon was ready to claim his mate.
“Men. You all think women are going to grovel at your feet because you’re sexy.”
Conley smirked. “You think I’m sexy?”
“Really, that’s what you got out of that? Not that this woman isn’t going to drop at your feet?”
He had time. He would do the human thing and woo her. Hopefully, Talia would give him some insight into what his mate really liked. “Yet,” he murmured. Then he closed the distance between them.
She averted her eyes as he stepped inside her personal space.
“You’ll look at me one of these days, Nyx. And then you’ll know. In the meantime, good luck peeling me off. I need to protect you, whether you like it or not. I think if you just accepted it, you’d really like it.” He winked, even though she wasn’t looking, and smoothed back her hair.
She squeezed her eyes shut and let out a ragged breath. She took a step away from him. “I’m not good for you. I’m not good for anyone. Can you just go?”
He’d already pushed her limits. Time would show her how much he needed her, and she would want to be around him. “We don’t know each other. Let’s take it one step at a time.”
“You’re very frustrating and stubborn. I need to find Talia. We need to get this Gideon shit taken care of so I can get my life back.” She crossed her arms over her chest and turned away from him, instead facing the door.
Once they left his room, he would have to share her with Talia and the rest of his family. “Before you went on the run, what did you do?” he asked quietly. Last night when he’d come back from his house, he’d watched her sleep like a creep for a long time. He’d only fallen asleep a couple of hours ago.
Nyx gripped the doorknob and looked over her shoulder. “I painted. I spent a lot of quiet time alone as a painter.” She sighed.
A painter. He wanted to see her work. “Would you like me to get you an easel? Some supplies? You could sit on the balcony and paint,” he suggested.
Nyx glanced toward the wall of windows. She didn’t need to say a word for him to know how much she wanted to. Even if she didn’t paint the landscape, Kai’s house was quiet.
When she didn’t answer, he continued. “You owe me nothing for this. No strings attached. I’m doing it for selfish reasons. Not only will it make you happy, but it will get me brownie points with Talia.”
She frowned. “I don’t like being in debt to anyone. How did you know that was an issue for me?”
Conley ran his hand through his hair. “How about you paint something for me in exchange for the supplies?” He shook his head. “To answer your question, I can’t read your mind. Not yet. Your face is just very emotionally expressive.”
“Wait, what do you mean you can’t read my mind yet?”
“Different things happen between different mates.”
Nyx let out a huff. “I will not be anyone’s mate.” She glanced toward the window again. “If you find some paints, I wouldn’t mind painting. It helps me deal.” Nyx turned the handle and rushed from the room.
She didn’t need to add that painting helped keep the demons of her powers at bay. He flew to deal with his dragon in the same way. Conley followed Nyx down the hallway. Nyx’s hips swayed with each step, and Conley had a hard time peeling his eyes away from her yoga-pants-covered ass.
Nyx quickly stopped in front of him at the edge of the hall. “She’s touching him,” she whispered.
Talia lay across Kirin’s lap. They were curled up on the couch, watching the news. Alida sat in the center of the room, playing with the stuffed unicorn Conley had picked up for her a couple of weeks ago. He loved the smile on Alida’s face each time he brought her a toy. Kirin and Talia accused him of spoiling the young girl, but that was what uncles were for.
“It’s different with mates. From what I understand, having listened to them talking to each other, their gifts complement each other. They have no secrets. There’s nothing for her to be assaulted by, no memories to upset her. They have this one shared consciousness.” He moved closer and leaned down to whisper in her ear. It was hard for him to be close to her and not touch her. That was what was killing him most at the moment. “Doesn’t she look calm?”
Nyx nodded. “She does. I’ll never have that.”
Conley whispered against her ear, “You could.” He meant it. She needed to know. “Touch me, Nyx. See what I mean. Look into my eyes.”
She shook her head, stiffened, and wrapped her arms around her body.
On the couch, Talia stretched lazily and opened one eye. Kirin’s arms held her even more tightly. No matter how quietly Nyx spoke, his brother would’ve heard the whole conversation.
Talia pushed at Kirin’s arms. “Nyx is up. Let me go,” she murmured with a smile.
He chuckled. “Never.”
She giggled as Kirin tickled her, and she quickly rolled out of his arms. Before leaving his side, she leaned down and placed a kiss on Kirin’s lips. “Good,” Talia whispered.
Talia walked over and wrapped her friend in a hug. “You’re awake.” She grinned as she eyed Nyx and Conley. “How are you feeling?”
“Better, thanks for leaving the medicine and water on the nightstand.”
Talia watched her for a few seconds. “I’m glad it helped, but I didn’t leave anything by your bed.”
Nyx turned toward Conley. “You?”
“My human friends used to say it helped with hangovers. I figured, with how much you puked last night, you were going to need it this morning.”
Nyx sighed. “Thank you.”
He smiled and turned toward the kitchen. When he entered, Kai was sitting at the counter with his laptop. Lucy leaned over his shoulder, watching something on the screen.
“What are you watching?”
Kai sighed. “I hacked the camera footage in Talia’s building. More men showed up seconds after we left last night and took Arrow and his brothers.”
“Where?”
“That’s the problem. It’s like they vanished.”
6
Nyx
“We have to find him.” If someone had asked Nyx two days ago if she would help Arrow, the answer would’ve been no. She’d thought he was the enemy. Now she didn’t know what to think, but he was in danger because of her.
“He can take care of himself,” Conley said, grabbing two cups from the cabinet and filling both with coffee. He put two sugars in one before handing it to her.
She didn’t know how he knew what she liked, but she wasn’t going to let him win. Instead, she grabbed a couple more sugars and added them to the coffee.
He didn’t respond except to lift his sexy brow.
One sip of coffee and she could feel the warm liquid settling in her stomach. Her tummy growled because she was hungry, but she was unsure she could keep any food down. “Clearly, he can’t take care of himself. Gideon took him.”
Lucy frowned down at the laptop. “We think Gideon took him, but those men were dressed in black and had masks, so we can’t be sure.”
“You mean the ninjas.” Nyx giggled.
Talia laughed next to her. “You’re right. Arrow was taken down by a bunch of ninjas.”
Kirin wrapped his arms around his mate. “Honey, ninjas don’t exist, and Lucy’s right. We aren’t sure it was Gideon.” He let out a sigh. “Nyx, do you know anyone else who would come after you?”
“I thought it was the council coming after me from day one. Arrow was always showing up. I never stopped to ask what he wanted until last night. He said he owed my mom a favor and he was trying to protect me but I kept running.”
“Can we ask your mom if she knows who’s after you?” Conley was next to her, watching her face closely.
It wasn’t a secret that her mom had been killed. She didn’t like talking about it. “No, my mom was killed when I was a teenager.” She didn’t need to explain that it was because of her powers.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered.
“Honestly, the day after I helped project your thoughts, I ran to the grocery store to get food, and my card was declined. When I came home to figure out what was going on, people were in my house. Right then I went on the run, and I haven’t stopped. Last night was the first time since I saw you that I’ve gotten a full night’s sleep.”
“I’ve gone through all the lab results left behind and never come across anything indicating the existence of someone with transport powers.” Lucy pointed to the video. “How did they vanish?”
“We could head into the lab and ask Lucius,” Kai said.
“Who’s Lucius?” Nyx asked.
Talia sighed. “Lucius was a king amongst the shifters until he vanished years ago. Rumors in the shifter community said he was dead. Others claimed he’d moved to the mountains to be by himself. Everyone was wrong. Gideon and his henchmen were controlling him with a mechanical collar. Since we took over the lab, we freed most of the shifters. A few who didn’t have anywhere to go have stayed along with Lucius, who hasn’t been able to shift back into human form. Even the devices the council created can’t shift him back to human form.”
Kirin continued for Talia. “He was in captivity the longest. Now he roams the lab when nobody’s around to make sure no one breaks in.”
“How do you talk with him if he’s shifted?”
“I touch him. It took many attempts of trial and error before he was able to get his thoughts across to me. At first, I could only see what he’d done recently. Now he thinks about things and turns them into images for me.”
“Let’s go talk with him.” Nyx was sick of running. She wanted to go back to her small house and paint. Sadness washed over her. She wasn’t even sure she still had a home. The landlord had never cared for her and would probably use the opportunity to lease to someone else at a higher rate. Before the last person had sold the house, they’d let her sign a long lease at a low cost. It’d made the new buyer mad, but she could afford it as long as she never missed a month.
“I’ll see what I can find out and let you know,” Lucy said as she watched the video again. “I’m not sure why, but I think we’re missing something. What happens if it’s not Gideon?”
Kai rolled his eyes and pulled his mate in closer. “We’ve seen Gideon do things before, and that alone wasn’t enough to get him in trouble, and he tried to frame Alida.”
Lucy nodded. “You’re right.” She sighed. “Something feels off. I’m going to head into work. If I figure anything out, I’ll call.”
Kai shook his head. “I’m coming with you.”
The two walked out of the kitchen, and Nyx was left with Kirin, Talia, and Conley.
“I didn’t get much information out of Arrow before the ninja showed up. He knew my mom somehow.”
“Maybe we can ask your dad.”
Talia had a valid point. Her dad might have the answers, but then he would ask questions about why she was in danger, and she didn’t want to worry him. “Let’s see what we can come up with before calling my dad.” Nyx finished off her last sip of coffee. The caffeine along with the ibuprofen had helped ease her headache. “Can I use the shower?”
