Chapter Eight

Karina woke to the sound of a deep male voice. “Tell me your name.” She remembered similar commands at various intervals. As much as she wanted to stay asleep, the voice called to her in a way she couldn’t explain.

She forced her eyes open to find Jericho leaning over her. “What’s your name?” he demanded.

“Karina.” Her voice was husky from sleep. The name still didn’t feel like her, but it was becoming more familiar.

“Do you know where you are?”

That was a no-brainer. “Here with you.”

The corners of his mouth tilted upward in the most beguiling way. “Clever girl.”

She didn’t feel particularly clever, was still experiencing the world through a fog. But at least it seemed as though it was lifting somewhat. “What time is it?” Not that it really mattered, since she wasn’t on any kind of schedule.

“It’s evening. You’ve slept the afternoon away.” He carefully pushed aside her hair and studied the injury at her temple. “That’s looking better.”

The pain in her head had dissipated quite a bit and was more of a low-grade ache. Lying there, she felt better than she had since the accident.

She caught the flash of a dark-haired woman in her mind, someone she should know. The woman was younger, and Karina experienced a sense of responsibility to her. Closing her eyes, she tried to capture the image, but it slipped away.

He caught her chin in his hand. When she opened her eyes to meet his gaze, the vision disappeared.

“What is it?” His voice was incredibly deep and seemed to penetrate her entire body, making it hum with pleasure.

“A glimpse of a woman.” She rubbed her forehead, swallowing back her disappointment. “It was gone before I could really understand it.”

He caught her hand, pulling it away. “Any memory is a sign you’re getting better.”

“Is it?” Because it sure didn’t seem that way to her. It was strange to be lying in bed with this man, this virtual stranger. It also seemed surprisingly right.

The room was shrouded in darkness, with only the light from the moon shining in through the window. It was barely enough for her to make out the shape of Jericho beside her, but she didn’t need to turn on a lamp. There was no mistaking who it was.

They were both fully dressed, which really wasn’t comfortable for sleeping, but was much better for her peace of mind. She was attracted to him, and it was getting more and more difficult to remember that he was her captor, not her friend or lover.

Did she even have friends? Was there a lover waiting for her? There wasn’t a husband. She was certain about that.

She could never trust any man that much.

The thought was there, coming seemingly out of nowhere. Trust, it seemed, was a rare commodity for her.

“Will you tell me anything about my life?” He knew more than he was divulging, since he’d kidnapped her for a reason.

He shook his head. “It’s best I don’t.”

“Best for who?” She’d keep asking the same questions over and over until she either got answers or remembered on her own.

“Both of us.” He shifted position slightly, causing the mattress to dip.

Going with the momentum, she rolled toward him until they were both on their sides facing each other. She wished she could see his features more clearly. His rugged face was becoming so very familiar, probably because he was the first person she remembered seeing after the accident.

It had nothing to do with his high cheekbones and hard jaw. Or the way his eyes appeared black as night. She was very aware of her own body, of how her bones were more delicate than his, of the differences between the male and female form.

Her breath hitched, and her skin tingled. This was not a good idea. Not at all.

“This isn’t smart,” he echoed her thoughts.

“No, it isn’t,” she agreed. But she didn’t stop him when he leaned forward and brushed his lips over hers. Like the first time, she experienced the caress all the way to the tips of her toes. Warmth followed, encompassing her entire body.

He tasted hot and masculine, and she wanted more.

There didn’t seem to be any rush. He didn’t push her in any way, so she was content to simply take her time. She ran her tongue over his bottom lip and then the top before sliding it into his mouth. A low rumbling sound rose from his chest, and he leaned forward, deepening the contact.

He made his own foray into her mouth, stroking the inside, teasing and tasting. It was both innocent and arousing. Innocent in that there seemed to be no agenda other than what they were doing. He simply enjoyed the kiss as she did.

Her clothing was too constricting. Her breasts swelled, her nipples rubbing against the satiny cups of her bra. She wished she hadn’t put on the thing after her shower, but something had compelled her to do so, as though getting fully dressed was like donning protective armor. Now it was simply a nuisance.

A rhythmic throbbing began between her legs. It was delicious. After all the pain and uncertainty, it was nice to lose herself in pure pleasure.

Emboldened, she placed her hand on his chest, wishing he wasn’t wearing a T-shirt. She wanted to touch the hard muscles beneath, absorb the heat from his skin. Wanted to see his tattoos. Her fingers itched to trace the thick, curving lines. The way they swooped and swirled made her want to follow them with her tongue.

She tugged on the hem of his shirt until it rose far enough for her to slip her hand under the fabric. His abs grew taut as she grazed her fingers over them. He made a sound partway between a growl and a moan when she stroked higher, letting the tip her finger brush against one of his flat nipples.

He trapped her hand, covering it. The heat from his skin seeped into her. He was always so warm, bordering on hot.

“This isn’t wise. You’re in no shape to make this kind of decision.” He was being the voice of reason, and she didn’t want to hear it.

“So?” Throwing caution to the wind didn’t seem like something she’d do. It felt strange and bold and new.

The laugh he gave sounded more than a little pained. “You have no idea how much I want to roll you onto your back, strip you out of your clothing, and kiss every inch of your body.”

Her toes curled. She could totally get on board with that idea.

“But you have no idea who you really are. You’d be sorry once you remembered.” His certainty killed some of the desire coursing through her veins.

“If you don’t want to have sex, you don’t need to make excuses.” Feeling foolish now, she withdrew her hand from under his shirt. When she tried to turn away, he threw one heavy thigh over her legs, anchoring her in place.

“You’re still hurt, but you’re doing better. It’s normal to want to reaffirm life.”

The rest of the passion seeped away, replaced by growing anger. “Thank you for your armchair diagnosis.”

He swore under his breath before grabbing her hand and dragging it down to the front of his jeans. His erection was hard and thick and big. She automatically curled her fingers around it.

“Does that feel like I don’t want you?”

“No.” It came out as a breathy sigh. He pulsed against her palm. An answering echo throbbed between her legs.

“Fuck, that’s good.” He captured her wrist and dragged her hand up to his lips, kissing it before he released her. “But until you get your memory back, I’d be taking advantage of you.”

“I’m willing,” she pointed out, even though he was right. Kissing was one thing, sex quite another.

He gave what might be considered a laugh, but it was harsh, and over before it really began. “That’s not making it any easier. If we did this and you had regrets once your memory returned…”

Closing her eyes, she counted to ten. “You’re right.” It annoyed her to have to admit it, but he was correct. It wasn’t fair of her to use him to make herself feel better.

A memory echoed in her mind before settling into her bones. She was a user. That’s what she did. Karina turned her head away, unwilling to face him as she dealt with this new piece of information.

…

He was bucking for sainthood. Both sides of him—human and dragon—wanted her. But he wasn’t willing to take her only to have her regret it when she discovered who and what they both were.

And there was still a part of him that feared he might eventually have to kill her if she tried to harm the others. It was one thing for him to take a risk. Quite another to put his friends in danger. Protecting Sadiq, Enoch, and Khalil was ingrained in his DNA. But so was the call to mate. If he was forced to end her, his divided loyalties would rip him apart.

“You should get some more sleep,” he told her. She wasn’t anywhere near well yet.

She rolled until she was facing away from him.

It was better this way. But if that was the case, why did it feel so fucking wrong? He wanted to grab on to her and never let her go. But this Karina was a dream, not the real woman, the one who was the leader of the Knights.

He stood and strode toward the door, even as every cell in his body tried to force him to stay. “I’ll leave you to it.”

“Jericho.”

He stopped in his tracks, loving the way his name sounding on her lips. “Yeah?”

“Thank you for staying with me.”

He didn’t want her thanks. “I kidnapped you, remember? It won’t do me much good if you die.” It was cruel, but it was probably for the best. They both needed some distance.

She surprised him by laughing. “There is that,” she readily agreed.

Her good humor only angered him. Why couldn’t she be the woman he wanted her to be? Why was she the leader of the damn Knights?

Of course, if she wasn’t, he might never have met her. Logical, maybe, but he was in no mood for logic.

He left her and went downstairs where Sadiq was waiting for him in the living room. “Where are the others?”

Sadiq was kicked back on the couch watching a ballgame on television. He grabbed the remote and muted the sound. “Khalil is patrolling the area. Enoch took his laptop out back to keep working once you and little Miss Knight started talking.”

Shit! That was one of the hard parts about being a drakon—preternatural hearing. His friends would have heard every word.

“We all got a little uncomfortable,” Sadiq continued. “Do you know what the hell you’re doing?”

He slumped down on a big leather recliner patched with frayed duct tape and stretched his legs out in front of him. Reaching down, he adjusted his cock, which was still as hard as a rock, making his jeans a very tight fit. “Does it look like I know what the fuck I’m doing?”

His friend smirked. “No. I gotta say, it doesn’t. Either bed her or kill her.”

“It’s not that simple.” None of them had ever had to deal with the rollercoaster emotional upheaval that came with finding their mate. Few of their kind had been that lucky. Although from what Enoch had been able to unearth, that seemed to be changing. Who the hell knew why?

“We should get rid of her. Dump her somewhere and leave the country.”

Jericho was already shaking his head. “I can’t. Not yet.” He held up his hand to halt Sadiq’s protest. “Trust me, I know all the reasons why keeping her around is a bad idea, but my dragon side won’t let her go.” He wasn’t sure he’d ever be able to let her go, even if she ran from him in horror when she eventually discovered exactly what he was. And it might be the end of him if that day ever came.

“I can’t let her go,” he repeated. He knew Sadiq couldn’t fully comprehend what he was going through. His entire being yearned for her. It was a craving, a need that went so deep he didn’t think it would ever be sated. Something in him would wither and die if he lost her. He instinctually understood that.

“She’s the leader of the Knights of the Dragon. They want to capture our kind, hold us, cage us, and for what? Our blood. So they can drink it and heal themselves, stop aging, possibly live forever.”

“I fucking know that.” His skin itched, a sure sign his dragon wanted out. He needed some way to expend all the pent-up physical energy churning inside him. Since sex was off the table, a fight would do.

“What do we do?” Sadiq slowly came to his feet. “You might be willing to trust her, but I’m not. What happens when her memory comes back and she decides we all have to be drugged, kept alive in our dragon forms to feed the Knights’ lust for power? For all we know, she’s lying about her memory being gone to learn more about us.”

He heard the faint gasp and turned on Sadiq. “You bastard. You knew she was listening.” He’d been too up in his own head to notice her eavesdropping from the top of the stairs.

Sadiq simply shrugged. “I’ll always do what’s best for you. Even if that means you hate me. Even if it means we fight. Won’t be the first time and probably won’t be the last.”

They’d come to blows more than once over the thousands of years they’d been together. They were both strong men with equally strong opinions. He should have known his friend would do something like this.

“And,” Sadiq continued, “you both need for her to get her memory back. That’s the only way you can make any kind of real decision.” He strode toward the front door. Jericho stepped in front of him, but Sadiq shoved him aside. “You’re fucking welcome.”

Hands fisted by his sides, he watched his friend leave, tempted to go after him so he could pound him into the dirt. Only it wouldn’t be that easy, and they’d eventually end up shifting and fighting as dragons. And that wasn’t safe for any of them. They were isolated, but not so remote that someone wouldn’t notice two fire dragons battling it out high in the night sky.

Right now, he had bigger problems. He took the stairs three at a time. In his haste to get to Karina, he almost knocked her down. She was leaning against the wall, eyes wide open, skin pale.

“How much did you overhear?” He feared he already knew what she was going to say.

“All of it.”

Damn, this is not what he’d wanted, but maybe Sadiq was right. Not that he’d ever tell the interfering bastard that.

When she swayed, he caught her. “You need to get back to bed.”

“No.” There was a tinge of fear and also demand. “Not the bed.”

Okay, not back to the place where they’d been intimate only a short time ago. He got it. Not giving her time to protest, he scooped her into his arms. His muscles coiled and then relaxed as her heat and her unique scent sank into him.

He carried her downstairs and deposited her onto the sofa. “I thought you were going to get some more rest.” Had she purposely eavesdropped on them?

“I was going to, but after I used the bathroom, I decided I needed some water. There was no glass upstairs. I figured I’d get a bottle from the fridge. And I wanted to ask about first-aid supplies. The bandage on my shoulder probably needs to be changed.”

He should have thought of those things. In spite of living so long, he hadn’t spent much time around humans, at least, not on a daily basis. It was easy to forget they required more care than a drakon. While he could go a long time without water, she’d get dehydrated.

“What Sadiq said, is it true?” She licked her lips and scooted forward until she was perched right on the edge of the sofa cushion. Her spine was straight, but there was an air or uncertainty about her that hadn’t been there before.

He tried not to notice how inviting her moist lips were and how easy it would be to lean forward and kiss them. They’d taste so damn sweet. His cock stood at attention, demanding he do something to relieve the never-ending ache that had plagued him since he’d seen her in the wreckage.

But now was definitely not the time. “What exactly did you hear?”

His erection was making him uncomfortable, so he sat back in the chair, mostly to give her some space.

She flicked her gaze toward him and then away. Her fingers twined together so tightly they were turning white. Finally, she took a deep breath and peered straight at him.

“Apparently, I’m the leader of some kind of group that hunts and traps dragons.” She tried to laugh, but her effort fell flat. “Even though it sounds impossible, like something out of a movie or novel, it feels true.” She touched her hand to her temple as though trying to remember. “Your tattoos reminded me of dragons. That has something to do with it, doesn’t it?”

She swallowed heavily. He wanted to reassure her that everything would be okay. Wanted to stroke her and kiss her. He did none of those things.

“Yes.”