“I thought I’d gotten it all.” He held his hand out, showing her the little shard. He tossed it into the wastebasket in the bathroom.

  The sting gone, she rubbed the blood away and went to retrieve socks. His frown deepened as she added sneakers. “What? I’m not hurt.”

  His nod was curt.

  The day had barely started and her head was throbbing. “I need coffee.” Leaving him to follow, or not, she went to the kitchen. Penelope was already atop her cat tree staring out the window. Raine made a beeline for the coffeepot. While it brewed, she leaned against the counter and crossed her arms over her chest. “So where do we begin?”

  …

  He could barely keep his gaze off her. She was wearing pink. His possessive side approved. It probably wasn’t intentional, but that didn’t stop his dragon from purring inside him. The soft fabric molded to her breasts, cupping them as his fingers itched to do.

  He’d been so tempted to remove her bra instead of putting it on her, but they needed answers and there was only one source. “Tell me how you met Mack.” He should have gone after the man as soon as he’d blown the entrance to the cave but had still been partially in the grip of the Deep Sleep. Now he’d have to hunt him down.

  She shoved a damp hank of hair behind her ear. “Ah, the foundation. The one that gave me the grant to write my book.”

  “You mentioned that back in the cave.”

  “Yeah, it was a big deal for me. They put us in touch through email. Now that I think back, it was vague about why he’d contacted them about his find.” She pointed her finger at him. “You were the find, the stone dragon in the cave. I assumed he was looking for money from the foundation to mount an expedition. From my application, they were aware my specialty was myth and legend. I assumed they thought we might be interested in a joint venture.” She turned and poured two mugs of coffee. “God, I was so excited I ignored the little whisper of warning in the back of my brain. Told myself I was overthinking things, worrying too much.”

  He took the mug she handed him, hating the way her shoulders hunched and how she wouldn’t meet his eyes. “They played on your passion, tapped into your hopes and dreams.”

  She set her mug on the counter and rubbed her hands up and down her arms. “And I was ripe for the picking. I didn’t lose all common sense. When I checked out Mack online, I learned he was born and raised and lived in the area around the Smoky Mountains all his life.” She frowned. “There wasn’t much about his job or family. Maybe that should’ve been a red flag, but not everyone blasts their personal business online. I should have done more research, dug deeper.”

  “What about the foundation? How did you first encounter them?”

  “A former colleague contacted me. Said he’d heard about the foundation and thought it might be a good fit for me. You think it was a setup, don’t you?”

  “I’m afraid so.”

  “None of it was real.” Her pained whisper made him want to obliterate whoever was behind this. “All of this was one big ruse, but why? None of it makes sense.”

  “You’re the key.” As impossible as it seemed, someone had figured out Raine had the potential to wake him. How was such a thing even possible? It seemed beyond the scope of a human.

  “What do you mean?”

  “You were the one contacted, the one brought to the cave and trapped inside, but this isn’t about you, it’s about me.”

  She tilted her head back and heaved a sigh. “I’ve figured that much out.” Her smile was sad but accepting. “In the scheme of things, I’m nobody. I’m a teacher and wannabe writer who thought her life was about to change for the better. You’re a freaking drakon.”

  “You’re not nobody.” Unable to bear her distress, he set his mug beside hers and drew her into his arms. She leaned against him, her arms sliding around his waist. “You did what they’d hoped. You woke the drakon.”

  “But Mack said, ‘Some things are better left buried.’ If he thought I could wake you, why put us together? That doesn’t make any sense.”

  “It does if it was an experiment.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Mack is a pawn, maybe willing, maybe not. Maybe he truly believes he had to trap you in the cave to keep me from waking. I guarantee whoever is behind this was hoping for the opposite. If I remained asleep, you’d die, Mack would carry on, never breathing a word about what he’d done to anyone. If I woke, whoever masterminded this would realize their plan worked when I broke you out. I guarantee they’ve either sent or will send Mack or someone else back to the cave to check.”

  “That’s wild.” Her voice was a strained whisper.

  “It’s brilliant actually. What you need to understand is that humans have sought ways to capture, control, or kill drakons since our birth. They seek money, power, and immortality.” And it wasn’t only humans who’d tried to kill him. There were others, of preternatural origins.

  Her mouth dropped open and she jerked out of his arms. “Immortality? You’re kidding, right? You can’t do that, can you?”

  “They believe we can.” Not a lie and not the full truth. Drakon blood healed humans and prolonged their lives, if it didn’t kill them. There was no way of truly knowing until a human consumed it.

  “We need to talk to Mack.” She grabbed his arm. “He has to know who’s behind this. I’ll get my purse and we can leave now.”

  “That’s not necessary.”

  “Of course it is. We need answers. If he doesn’t have them, we’ll hit the Angel Foundation next.” Her mouth thinned into a stubborn line. “Someone will damn well talk to us.”

  As he lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it, he tracked the sounds he’d been hearing for the last minute. “Oh, someone will talk, but right now there are six men outside trying to sneak up on the house.”

  “You’re sure?”

  He tapped his left ear. “Preternatural hearing.”

  “Right. I have a gun in my bedroom.”

  “You own a gun?” He’d never considered that. He’d read about them online. They were deadly, effective from a distance, and didn’t take much strength to wield. Much handier than a sword or dagger, especially for a woman.

  Her expression was pure exasperation. “A security system is a deterrent but not protection. I’m a single woman living alone in a rural area. There are all kinds of critters—two- and four-legged—roaming around.”

  Lucius stood to his full height. “Then why didn’t you have it on the trip?” Not that it would have done her any good. Mack hadn’t come at her head-on. He’d been sneaky, blowing up the entrance to the cave, trapping her inside. With him. Someone else was calling the shots, or else Mack could have killed her at any point and dumped her body. He needed to find out who.

  “It never occurred to me I’d be in danger camping in a national park. Oh, don’t give me that look. We have bigger problems. I’m getting the gun.”

  He shook his head. “You don’t need it. You have something better. You have a drakon.” Anger pulsing through his veins, he strode to the front door and yanked it open.

  Chapter Nine

  His dragon rolled beneath his skin, demanding to be released. These men had come to harm Raine. Or maybe he was their target and she nothing more than collateral damage.

  He shook his head, refusing to give in to mindless anger. I need one of them alive. I need Mack alive. He had little doubt the man was out there. We can kill the rest. His dragon settled, in full agreement.

  Society may frown on violence, but sometimes it was the only way. Since the dawn of time, there’d been groups dedicated solely to the capture or destruction of his kind and other paranormals. He had no way of knowing if any of them were still active. That kind of information wasn’t readily available. Mack might be associated with one of them.

  Definitely need him alive.

  He yanked the door shut behind him, ambled down the stairs, and continued to the middle of her lawn. Best to get this over with as quickly as possible. Somehow, he couldn’t picture Raine waiting patiently inside while he took care of the intruders.

  “I’m here. You’re here. What do you want?” He didn’t raise his voice. There was no need.

  A shot rang out. The bullet hit him dead center in the chest. He grunted as the projectile burrowed through him, ripping through vital organs, before escaping out his back. His body immediately healed itself. That had been unexpected…and painful. Drakons healed, but they sure as hell felt the pain of every injury.

  “No!” Raine’s scream was followed by the sound of running feet. Shit, the situation was deteriorating faster than he’d expected. Gun in hand, she skidded to a stop beside him, her eyes wide, her breath coming in huge gulps. “You’re hit.” Her free hand smeared the blood over his chest, finding nothing but smooth skin. Her eyes were darker than normal against the paleness of her face. “I don’t understand.”

  “Drakon,” he said as a reminder. There was no time for a long explanation, not with guns trained on them. He locked his arm around her waist and shoved her behind him. “Stay there. I’ll protect you.” This would have been easier if she’d remained in the house, but there’d been nothing easy about her since she walked into his cave. “What do you want?” he called out to the waiting men.

  “You have to die,” someone yelled back.

  “Why?” Dead silence followed.

  “You were both supposed to be trapped in the cave forever. That was the plan. She’d die and you’d never have a chance to awaken and wreak havoc on the world. That was my mission. I failed, but I’ve been given a second chance to redeem myself.”

  “That’s Mack,” she whispered.

  Lucius’s gaze zeroed in on where the man was hiding. “Who gave you this mission? Who sent you to kill me?”

  “An angel spoke to me. It’s my holy duty to destroy you. You’re a monster. That bullet should have killed you. The angel was right.”

  “God save me from the religious zealots.” There was a tiny snicker from behind him. “I have nothing to do with your God or his angels. I’m not sure God has anything to do with his angels anymore.”

  “Is that true?” She kept her voice low and one hand on his back, right on the area the bullet had torn through, as though to reassure herself that he was okay. Her concern warmed his heart. And her touch had other parts of him stirring beneath the towel he wore.

  “Blasphemy! You’ve been sent by the devil to tempt and destroy us.”

  “Lucifer is too smart to fuck with me. I was happy to be encased in stone and asleep. Who knew I was there?” He was talking more to himself than to the intruders. Being around Raine, he was picking up some of her habits. “Why Raine?”

  “The angel told me Ms. Carson was a willing sacrifice in our holy war. Her death would save us all.” Mack stepped out from behind a tree.

  “That’s a damn lie!”

  His heart squeezed as the accusation hit home. Had she contacted these men? He wouldn’t have necessarily heard her talking to anyone. There was such a thing as texting and email now. His ears began to buzz and his stomach churned. “If she was so willing, why blow the entrance of the cave and lock her inside?” Her shock and fear had been too real to be faked.

  “Even the most stalwart can falter. The angel said we couldn’t risk her losing her nerve and running at the critical moment. Her death had to happen at the cave, in front of the stone dragon, for it to work. I tried to time the explosion so she’d die then. That way she wouldn’t be forced to starve slowly or take her own life.” Like any true fanatic, he had an answer for everything. The kernel of truth in his words was troubling.

  “You don’t believe him, do you?” The pain in her voice tugged at him. He didn’t want to, but the seed had been planted. He could have flown away, but she’d convinced him to come with her, and now these men were trying to kill him.

  It was time to finish this. “Leave now and live. Stay and die.” The click of a weapon reached his ears. Without conscious thought, his dragon burst from inside him. Scales slammed down on his skin as his body changed shape. The barrage of bullets fell harmlessly away, unable to penetrate the armor-like plating covering him. He spread his wings wide to protect Raine. If he hadn’t shifted, she’d have been hit.

  Fury whipped up inside him like a whirlwind. He threw back his head and roared. The surrounding trees bent back with the blast of force behind the sound. Reason was lost as instinct took over. Protect!

  “Get inside,” he roared. He backed up, herding her toward the steps.

  “What are you going to do?” The fear in her voice made his blood boil. “We should run. Maybe we can get out the back way.” She gripped an edge of his wing and tugged.

  “I’m going to do what I do best. Kill.” They wanted a monster, he’d damn well show them what happened when you woke the beast.

  “If you don’t survive, I’m going to be furious with you.” With that, she released him and the door slammed. Would she welcome him once she witnessed what he was capable of? Or would she try to kill him when Mack and his friends failed?

  No, the man was a liar. Her fear for him had been real. She’d run to his side, heedless of the danger, not to harm but protect. He would not let the human poison him against her.

  The men spread out in the wooded area surrounding her yard, circling him. His lip curled, exposing razor-sharp teeth. Had they learned nothing? Their puny weapons were no match for him. He moved to one side and snapped out his tail with unerring accuracy. A male scream was followed by silence. While they were stunned, he did it again. Two down, four to go.

  A flurry of bullets struck from all sides. All of them deflected off his scales and hit the ground. They were using the surrounding trees for cover, but they couldn’t hide from him. He tracked toward his next victim. Seeing him bearing down, the man screamed and turned to run. He brought his huge foot down on him, squashing him into the ground, his sharp claws sinking deep into the dirt.

  The rest fled in terror. The sour smell of their sweat assaulted his nostrils. They thrashed through the brush, their boots pounding against the ground. They couldn’t be allowed to escape. It would give them time to regroup or call in more forces if they hadn’t already.

  Fuck! Shifting back to his human form, he pursued his prey, his long legs eating up the distance. He grabbed one man by the back of his coat and flung him hard against a tree. A loud snap was followed by a low groan. The remaining two separated, going in opposite directions. He went after the unknown one, catching him a few feet from his truck. “Please don’t hurt me,” the man pleaded, even as he got off another shot at close range. Lucius jerked, ignoring the sting of the bullet in his shoulder as he gripped the man by the back of the neck and jerked. There was a loud crack, and then the man went limp.

  An engine cranked and tires squealed. He was faster than any truck, even in human form. When he caught sight of the vehicle, he launched himself through the air and landed squarely in front of it. Metal crunched beneath his hands when he slammed them down on the hood. Tires spun and the scent of burnt rubber filled the air. The engine revved but the vehicle went nowhere.

  Mack bailed and began to run. “God save me,” he yelled.

  Lucius caught him easily and dragged him into the woods. “I doubt that’s who sent you.” He tossed the man to the ground where he immediately rolled to his knees and began to pray. “Who contacted you?”

  “An angel. His presence was mighty, the light from him blinding.”

  Hmm, that did sound like an angel. “And did this angel have a name?” Mack firmed his lips and shook his head. “You will tell me.” One way or another, he would get answers.

  “No!” Mack yanked a knife from a sheath at his waist and plunged it into his own heart. He toppled to the ground, a smile on his face.

  Lucius raked his fingers through his hair and sighed. “Didn’t see that one coming.”

  …

  Raine paced back and forth. There’d been a shoot-out in her front yard. Her front yard!

  Where was Lucius? Why hadn’t he come inside when the men ran? For as long as she lived, she’d never forget watching the bullet rip through his back, the spray of blood, the terror that had clutched her heart.

  “Focus, damn it.” Another peek through the front window gave no clues. The clearing was empty. But beyond—

  Needing to know what was happening, she used her phone to access the security cameras located on the front of her house and watched as the scene played out.

  Her drakon had gone on a rampage, killing several people. Not that he’d had a choice. Those men had shot him, had hit him dead center in the chest. A normal person would have died.

  He’d healed instantly.

  She’d seen and felt his power, but she honestly hadn’t believed even he could survive such massive damage. And where the hell was he? He’d shifted to human form and disappeared into the woods. Surely, he didn’t believe the lies Mack was spewing. God, if he did, he might not come back. She might never see him again. She raised her hand to her head and almost bashed herself with the gun she still held.

  Her vision began to dim. Stumbling to the nearest chair, she sat and lowered her head between her knees and stared at her hands. Her fingers were stained with blood. “Oh God.” Bursting out of her seat, she hurried to the kitchen, set the gun on the counter, and cranked on the water. She washed them three times before she was satisfied no trace remained. Then she retrieved her phone from her pocket and wiped it down. There was a stain on her jeans, but it wasn’t too bad.

  “He’s okay. You’re both okay.” She closed her eyes for a moment. Until she saw him, she wouldn’t relax. “He’ll be back.” Even if only to demand answers.