“Understood.” It was always the same, only the names of the groups changed over the millennia.

  “I’ll send you what I have on them.”

  “Do you want my email address?” She tucked the money away and zipped her purse.

  “Please. I own the internet.” A ding, and sure enough there was an email with an attachment.

  “You’re one scary dude.”

  Lucius frowned at the awe in her voice. He vowed to master the internet as soon as there was time for him to study it further.

  “That’s what my mate tells me. Call if you need assistance. We’ve gotten smarter and built a network.”

  “You have a mate?” That was unexpected. Finding one was a rare occurrence. Or it had been when he’d lived last.

  “Many of us have in the past few years. We’re not sure why now. I assume Raine is yours and that’s why she was able to wake you.”

  “Thank you.” He ended the call, unwilling to confirm or deny anything until he had time to check Tarrant out further.

  “We didn’t learn much, but if I read that guy right, he’ll be digging into the matter. He’s too much like me. He’ll have to figure out what’s going on.” Her nose scrunched, making her look adorable.

  She took the phone and, as he watched, forwarded Tarrant’s number to her new one. “Guess we need to destroy this.”

  He held out his hand. Her fingers tightened around it before relinquishing it into his keeping. He took a deep breath.

  Ding! An alert for a new message.

  “Maybe it’s from Maccus.” She grabbed the device. All the color drained from her face.

  He looked over her shoulder. The text was from an unknown sender. It was only one word.

  Run!

  Chapter Nineteen

  It seemed to Raine as though she’d been on the run her entire life. She’d always thought a road trip would be fun, but she was sick to death of being in the car. The stress of waiting for the other shoe to drop was wearing on them both.

  I assume Raine is yours and that’s why she was able to wake you.

  The words wouldn’t stop running around in her brain. Rather than be put off by the idea, it made her heart sing. What exactly had Tarrant meant by that? They’d been discussing mates at the time. Lucius hadn’t mentioned it. Not like she could come out and ask, “Hey, am I your mate?” Talk about putting a guy on the spot.

  Yes, she’d woken him. Yes, they had amazing sexual chemistry. She knew he liked her, but that was a far cry from wanting to mate with her.

  Stop thinking about it. She was making herself crazy. On the run for their lives was no time to make relationship decisions. See, she could be logical and adult. Ignoring the yearning in her soul, she turned her attention to their more pressing problems.

  “Are there any more of those chips?” Lucius asked. He was driving again. The novelty of it hadn’t worn off yet. As much as she hated to admit it, he had better night vision. Not to mention all the stress and lack of sleep was compounding, leaving her drained of energy. It was safer for them and the rest of the motoring public that she wasn’t behind the wheel.

  “We’ve eaten all the salt and vinegar, cheese and jalapeño, and barbecue ones.” They’d gone a long way to settling her nerves. “There’s only plain left.” When they’d stopped to grab snacks, she’d picked up a selection, unsure what he’d enjoy. So far, he hadn’t met a chip he hadn’t liked. She opened the full-size bag and handed it to him. He tucked it in his lap and munched as he drove one-handed, as though he’d been doing it his entire life.

  The city was far behind them and they were once again headed down the interstate. After getting that text from an unknown sender, they hadn’t wasted any time grabbing their gear and hitting the road.

  There was plenty of traffic, but it was dark, the lights almost hypnotic as they came toward them. Her eyes closed and her head tilted to the side, bouncing off the door window. “Ouch.”

  “Why don’t you try to get some sleep?”

  “You’re not sleeping.” A good thing, since he was at the wheel.

  “I’m a drakon.”

  And she was a weak human. He didn’t say it, but that’s how she felt. “If I wasn’t with you, you’d just head off to a cave somewhere and hunker down, wouldn’t you?” Her heart skipped a beat at the thought of him flying away and never seeing him again.

  He munched on the chips, swallowed, and licked his lips. She barely stifled a moan. She wanted to kiss those lips, damn it. They’d taste like hot male and salty goodness.

  “At one point, I might have, but it’s gone too far. Someone targeted both of us. I need to know who.”

  It was depressing to think that was the main reason he’d stuck around, but it was smart to be realistic. If she was his mate, surely he’d have mentioned it. Tarrant had to be wrong. Lucius cared about her, no doubt, but the obstacles between them were huge. The biggest being she was human and he was an immortal drakon. Did drakons mate with humans or other paranormals?

  Needing a chip fix after that revelation, she reached over and dug into the bag, taking a handful. “If angels, some drakon hunting organization, or a combination of both, are behind this, then they’re not going away.” The chips she’d already eaten sat like a stone in her stomach, but she shoved more into her mouth and chewed.

  “Who do you think sent that text?” Lucius had fried her old phone, breathing fire on it until it disintegrated. Whoever it was, they weren’t going to track them using that device. That was cold comfort.

  “I don’t know.”

  “Maybe it was Tarrant.” It was grasping at straws, but she didn’t care. She needed something hopeful to hang on to.

  Lucius shook his head, his hair brushing his shoulders. In the dark of the vehicle, he appeared even more menacing, his features somehow more sharply defined by the passing lights. “He doesn’t have your new number.”

  “I forgot.” Although, she’d gotten the sense that if he wanted to discover her new number, he would. Between him and Maccus, these people seemed to have no trouble hacking into her technology. New phones had been a waste of money, but it had been a proactive thing to do.

  She dusted the salt from her hands and licked what remained. She really wasn’t hungry. Eating was more about nervous energy and having something to do, and if she happened to put extra pressure on his lap when she scooped out the chips and noticed the bulge there…that was a bonus. Shrugging, she went back for more.

  Maybe it wasn’t fair to use her sexual wiles—and who knew she had them? This wasn’t the time—no argument there. But Lucius was a once-in-a-lifetime lover. It went beyond him being a superhot drakon. His intensity, his protectiveness, the way he really listened to her and considered everything she said, and his innate intelligence, all drew her. The future was unknown. As a human, she was vulnerable, could die. It was becoming clearer that it was time to grab life with both hands and live it to the fullest.

  He shifted in his seat when she withdrew her hand. “Anything wrong? I know it’s uncomfortable.” She waited a beat. “The car is a tight fit.” A wicked imp had taken hold of her. It was more fun to tease him than to dwell on that text. There wasn’t anything she could do about it, no way to track whoever had sent it. Maybe if they’d still had her phone…but keeping it hadn’t been a risk worth taking.

  “It’s terribly uncomfortable.” His voice little more than a low growl, he reached out, took her hand, and dragged it back to his lap. “And you know exactly why.” The chip bag scrunched as it was pushed aside. The front of his jeans was stretched by his erection. Hot and hard, it pulsed with life. Her sex clenched and her nipples puckered beneath her shirt. The air was fraught with sensual tension.

  A huge crack echoed in the small space. “You need to stop unless you want to land us in a ditch.” A chunk of the plastic wheel covering fell to the floor.

  Oops! She yanked her hand away and sat back, her breathing none too steady. “I’m sorry. That was uncalled for. I just wanted things to be normal. And that sounded whiny. I hate being whiny.” What was wrong with her? It wasn’t right to use their sexual attraction as a security blanket to ease her fear.

  “I’ll never be normal.” If his jaw was any tighter it would snap. He was as aroused and sexually frustrated as she was.

  “I didn’t mean it like that.” She dragged her fingers through her hair. God, she wanted eight hours of sleep in a real bed, a hot bath, and real food, not takeout. She never thought she’d live long enough to say it, but she was sick of junk food. “It’s surreal that someone is manipulating us for some end we can’t see. They wanted you awake. That’s a given.” She held up a finger to tick off her point. “They wanted me to be the one to do it but were fine if I failed in the attempt and died.” She put up another. “Were they hoping or expecting you’d kill me? And if so, to what end?”

  “I have no idea. You shouldn’t have been able to wake me.”

  “So this is my fault?”

  “It’s a fact, not a fault.”

  Oh, she’d give him facts. “There must be a larger endgame here. You woke up. There had to be a reason they’d attempt such a thing. If you killed me, what would have happened?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Speculate,” she snapped. They sped through the night, just one car among many others, all heading somewhere. Probably not the smartest time to be pushing this. They were both tired, or she was, and aggravated.

  “You want me to speculate?” Fury laced his words. The air became supercharged, like the sky just before a lightning strike. Her skin prickled.

  “Ah, maybe not.”

  “Too late.” A horn blared as he swerved into the outside lane and down an off-ramp. A squeak escaped her, her hand pressing against the dashboard. She had her seat belt on, but the sudden movement jerked her forward.

  An all-night truck stop loomed ahead. He pointed the car to the darkest corner of the lot and pulled in. Gear jammed into park, motor still running, he released her seat belt and dragged her toward him until their noses were practically touching.

  “If I killed you, the Brotherhood would have come for me. We don’t have many rules, but a hard and fast one is that we don’t kill innocents.” His nostrils flared and his eyes were ablaze.

  She’d unleashed a whirlwind. All she could do was hang on and hope for the best. “You wouldn’t have hurt me.”

  “Before I was fully awake, I thought I’d wait you out, let you die, and go back to sleep.” Couldn’t get any blunter than that.

  “That’s understandable.” It hurt, but she couldn’t hold it against him. He hadn’t known her then, hadn’t wanted to be awakened.

  “But you made it impossible for me to fall back to sleep. There’s only one possible reason for that.” He was breathing heavily, his chest rising and falling rapidly, stretching the seams of his T-shirt.

  “You mentioned that back at Maccus’s place. Is it because you’re sexually attracted to me? Would any woman have had the same effect?” Talk about a lowering thought.

  “I am sexually attracted to you.” His voice was growing deeper by the second. She wished she could see him better, but it was dark here, the only glow from the dashboard lights and his captivating eyes. “That’s part of it. But, no, any woman wouldn’t do. Only you.” He held her head in his hands and rubbed his thumb over her lower lip. The more intimate parts of her body began to tingle even as her heart raced. “Only a very special woman could have pulled me from the Deep Sleep.”

  Her stomach fluttered, and it wasn’t because of the potato chips. “Does this have something to do with what Tarrant said, when he asked if I was yours?” Now that it was out in the open, she wasn’t sure she was ready for the answer.

  “Maccus and Tarrant both understand.” He brushed his mouth against hers. “They know what you are to me.”

  Breathless, she nibbled his bottom lip. “And what am I?”

  “My mate.”

  “Your mate,” she repeated. Tarrant had used that word, his tone possessive. It was more primitive than the title of wife.

  He pressed his cheek against hers. It was smooth, not scratchy, even though he hadn’t shaved. “My sire wasn’t around when I was a boy. I was in his company only a handful of times before he left for good. One thing he did tell me was that dragons mate for life. As hybrids, we drakons had no idea if that applied to us, if we’d ever find that one woman meant for us. I’d heard rumors that one or two had, but discounted them as little more than false hope. Even if they were true, it didn’t matter. The odds were astronomically against me ever finding my mate across the vast world and an ocean of time.”

  “That’s beautiful, like something out of a storybook.” It made her soul sing, made her believe in magic and possibilities.

  “It’s real.” He drew his tongue over her bottom lip, drawing a moan. “And it’s no story. You are my mate. If you accept me, I’ll love you for the rest of my days. If you reject me—”

  “Never.”

  The light slowly drained from his eyes, leaving them dull and lifeless. “I understand. You have to remain with me until the threat passes. I’ll let you go when it’s safe and won’t bother you again.”

  “That’s not what I meant.” She grabbed his hair to keep him from turning away. “I’ll never reject you, but is it fair to you? You’ll love me forever.” Tears pricked her eyes, and it got more difficult to breathe. This was the kind of love she’d always longed for, always dreamed about. It was beautiful, but it also made her ache because it seemed so damn impossible. “I only have decades left while you have thousands of years.” And wasn’t that a kick in the pants to them both.

  “A single day with you is worth everything.”

  A love that big was scary. It was insane to even be entertaining such an idea when they had people trying to kill them. Well, kill her. They wanted to capture him.

  And what if what he thought was love was really gratitude? She’d been the one to set him free. Maybe he was still feeling the effects of the Deep Sleep he’d been locked in for centuries.

  Then there were her turbulent jumble of emotions. Lucius was larger than life, a creature of myth and legend, the embodiment of her life’s work. They’d been locked in one life-threatening situation after another since they’d met. Sex between them was off the charts, but that wasn’t love.

  And even if she believed him, how would day-to-day life work? It wasn’t like he was going to hold down a nine-to-five job. What about her job? Were kids even possible? Where would they live? Would they always have enemies trying to kill them? And how on earth could they go out in public regularly?

  There were so many valid reasons to take a step back and be practical. It wasn’t sensible to make these kinds of life-altering decisions when everything was up in the air and there was so much at stake.

  Life didn’t come with guarantees, but there were defining moments. Whatever choice she made would echo through the years to come.

  He was brave, laying his heart bare, while knowing she could reject him. Hurting him was the last thing she ever wanted to do. He’d already been hurt enough in his long lifetime. Taking a deep breath, she threw caution to the wind and embraced her heart. “I love you.” Plastering her mouth against his, she kissed him.

  …

  I love you.

  Three precious words he’d never thought to hear. He was a fierce drakon, an assassin, a feared member of the Forgotten Brotherhood, but none of those titles compared to being Raine’s mate. The knowledge sank into his bones, into the very marrow of his being.

  He kissed her, loving the way she clung to his hair until his scalp ached. There was no playful banter, no teasing. With a moan, he delved into her mouth. Salty and sweet combined, she gave as good as she got and demanded more.

  She made him hotter than the lava pools deep in the heart of the Earth, but he was a drakon. Not only could he withstand her fire, he craved it. He’d been cold for so long. That’s why he’d gone into the Deep Sleep. His internal flames had no longer been enough to spark life. All he’d seen before him were endless and empty centuries and death.

  He peppered her face with kisses. “I can’t get enough of you.” He wanted to inhale her, to keep her next to him every second from now until eternity. “Never leave me.” Vulnerable in a way he’d never been before, he gave his heart into her keeping.

  “I won’t. Not on purpose.” He leaned into her touch, letting her soothe the uneasiness welling inside him. “I’ll grow old, but for whatever time I have, I’ll never stop loving you.” Her smile was tremulous, her eyes dark with concern.

  Damn it, he was being an ass, pushing her for a commitment when she was dependent on him for protection. It wasn’t right, but he couldn’t stop himself. After thousands of years of stark loneliness, he understood the gift, the value of a mate. A creature of instinct, every cell in his body screamed for him to snatch her up and take her somewhere safe.

  But until they found their enemy, there was nowhere safe. Whoever had masterminded this plan had supernatural power, most likely an angel. An ability that went beyond human meddling and even magic.

  “I can extend your life.” It was too soon to broach this, but he wanted her with him forever. It was also time to show her there were benefits to being with him. So far, all she’d experienced were the darker, deadly aspects.

  Her eyes widened and she slapped her palm over his forehead. “You’re feeling warm. Do you have a fever?”

  Her reactions were a constant source of surprise and pleasure. On a laugh, he captured her hand and kissed the center of her palm, licking the sensitive spot before releasing her. “I’m not out of my mind. I’m a drakon.”