Heart of a Dragon (Fallen Immortals #2)

Chapter Four

“When you said dragons, girl, I didn’t think you meant… I mean, fuck, Lucian is a crazy, badass dragon!”

Rachel was eyeing Cinaed like he’d turned into that wild beast that Lucian had been only a few minutes ago. But that wasn’t Lucian’s true dragon at all! And Arabella’s heart was still sliced to pieces from his latest rejection—he had literally told her to leave. Again. He practically begged her to do it.

Rachel’s stink-eye pointed in Cinaed’s direction was getting him red in the face.

“Yes, we’re dragons,” he said through his teeth. “There’s far worse we could be. You have no idea the things that are out there. Things my prince is protecting you from.” Then he pressed his lips into a flat line, stepped back, and ran a hand through his hair. He threw a quick angry look out the window at the early afternoon sun lighting up mountains around them. He was obviously holding back from saying anything more in front of Rachel. But Arabella needed more information, not less —and she was certain that Cinaed knew more than he was telling them both.

“You have to tell me about the treaty, Cinaed,” she said. “That’s driving all of this, isn’t it?”

“I’m forbidden.” He glared at her.

“What a load of crap that is,” Rachel threw at him, along with her pointed finger. Then she turned to Arabella. “I don’t care if they’re dragons or wolves or whatever… they’re still men, Arabella. They still lie about every damn thing, if it suits them. Or they don’t say anything at all when they could easily just explain themselves.” She lifted her chin in Cinaed’s direction, gauntlet thrown.

He took two fast steps closer to her. “I am an honorable dragon, and when I make a promise—” He cut himself off again, his mouth working, like he was chewing on the things he wanted to say but couldn’t.

Rachel wasn’t backing down a single inch from the tall, muscular shifter as he loomed over her. Arabella didn’t know what Cinaed was thinking. That he might be able to intimidate her? Rachel didn’t take shit from anyone. Especially hot men. There was a long line of those in her wake, and it was an endless source of trouble.

Cinaed swung his anger in Arabella’s direction. “If you think my prince is not doing the right thing, if you think he’s a dishonorable dragon, then perhaps you should leave after all.”

“No,” she replied, the anger dissipating from her voice as she realized what she had to do. “The only place I’m going is where I can get some answers.” She chewed her lip and stared out the window for a moment. If Lucian wouldn’t talk to her, and Cinaed had been forbidden—

“What do you mean by that?” The anger in Cinaed’s face had morphed into a slight panic. “This isn’t the time to go after the prince, my lady—”

She held up her hand to stop him. “I know.” It carved into her that Lucian was still trying to get her to leave. Maybe she was wrong about everything, but she was too stubborn to simply walk away now. Not until she truly understood what was going on. And this treaty was at the heart of it. Whatever had just gone down with Lucian and that crazy dragon form was part of it. That thing was completely unlike his beautiful golden dragon—rough, bony ridges instead of smooth-as-silk scales. It was still golden, but wild and fierce-looking. She didn’t know what that was about, but Lucian was obviously struggling with it. He needed time to get himself together.

And she needed time to figure this out, as well.

“You stay here and guard Rachel,” she said to Cinaed.

“What?” he replied as if she had suggested he jump off a cliff. “I don’t follow your orders. And the prince explicitly said—”

“I’ll stay in the keep, Cinaed,” she said cutting him off again. “But I don’t need you following me around like a puppy. Not for what I have to do.”

Rachel was frowning at her, but when Arabella gave her a small nod, she picked up that ball and ran with it.

Turning to Cinaed, Rachel took three quick steps to close the distance between them, swaying her hips as she did so. Then she went right for it, sliding her hands up Cinaed’s chest and grabbing his head to pull him down for a very hot kiss.

Cinaed’s eyes went wide. He tried to pull back, but Rachel had a good hold on him, so he just ended up pulling her with him. Plus her touch had to be sparking some of that red-hot sexual tension the two of them had going ever since they first laid eyes on each other. Arabella smirked and turned to make a run for the door.

Cinaed managed to get his lips free of Rachel well enough to call out to her, “What is your intention, my lady?” But then Rachel’s fingers were in his hair, her lips urgently seeking his again, and Arabella had reached the front door.

She slipped out, closing the door behind her, and waiting a moment to see if Cinaed would follow. He must trust her well enough to let her go, probably figuring she was safe in the keep. She didn’t hear any pounding dragon boot steps stomping toward the door.

She scurried away down the hall, pulling out her phone to find the GPS location of Leonidas’s apartment. She had been there once before, and it wasn’t hard to find again. She only hoped that this time, there wouldn’t be some hot blonde waiting just inside. Or that Leonidas wouldn’t be in the middle of a tumble in the sheets with some other human woman.

When Arabella reached his door, she pounded on it. She waited… and waited… and was ready to pound again, because dammit, it was the middle of the afternoon, and this was more important than Leonidas’s sex life. She raised her fist to beat on the door again just as it opened.

A slow grin spread across Leonidas’s face as he braced against the door frame and leaned into it, looking her up and down.

“I wondered how long it would take for you to find your way back to my lair.”

What did he mean by that? “I have questions,” she said with her best no-nonsense lawyer voice. “And this time, I’m not leaving until I get answers.” She crossed her arms and planted her feet, just so he would know she meant business.

His eyes sparkled, but he stepped back and gestured for her to come inside.

She unlocked her arms and strode through the door. He closed it behind her, but when she turned back to face him, he was suddenly on her—his lips on hers, his strong muscular body pressed hard against her. One of his hands went around the small of her back with the other in her hair. His tongue was invading her mouth, as he lifted her effortlessly from the floor. He walked her two steps back and pressed her body into the wall. His touch was fiercely strong and demanding and ardent… yet strangely gentle and enticing. He wasn’t hurting her, but he was kissing the hell out of her. Her whole body was in shock. And for a half second, her body molded into his, accepting this hot and delicious kiss he was serving up.

Then she came to her senses and pushed him away.

“What the hell, Leonidas?” she demanded breathlessly. Pushing away a dragon was almost impossible—and Leonidas certainly didn’t go far. He still had her trapped against the wall, one hand in her hair, the other on the wall next to her head. A slow, sexy smile took over his face again. With the dilation of his pupils, the slightly panting of his breath, his lips still parted, lingering near hers… it was as if he was just taking a breather before starting up again. The scent of him—masculine and earthy and tinged with a little bit of campfire smoke that was both warm and welcoming and dangerously hot—all of it sent an embarrassing flush of heat through her body. It pooled between her legs. How could she be reacting to him like this?

“You’ve been in my brother’s bed,” he said, soft and seductive and leaning even closer to brush his lips against her cheek. “You know what it’s like to have a dragon for a lover. I promise you, my bed would be every hot, wet dream you’ve ever had. You don’t need Lucian. Trust me when I tell you I’ve had far more experience, and I can be that lover who would satisfy your every wish.”

Her hands were still planted against his chest, pushing him away, but they weakened a little. His words were heating her body in a way that was confusing her brain. That scent of his kept washing over her.

He leaned closer and whispered even more seductively in her ear, “Whatever it is you want, Arabella, I can give it to you. There’s no physical thing you’ll ever be denied. I will worship every inch of your body. And if it’s love you want, my sweet, sweet Arabella, you will have my complete and utter devotion all the days of your life.”

What was this madness—this lust haze—that was clouding her brain? She renewed her efforts to push him away. He was like a granite mountain in front of her, but he did ease back enough to look her in the eyes.

She finally got her mouth working again. “How can you do this?” She put as much disgust into that question as she could.

Only now he was capturing her with those blazing blue eyes, drilling into her with a look every bit as seductive as his kiss. “I’ve wanted you in my bed from the first moment I saw you. My brother’s a fool to turn you away.” He leaned in again running his lips along her cheek and pulling in a deep breath—scenting her. She recognized it from all the times Lucian had done it, and it sent a horrifying flush of remembered lust through her. But this was the wrong brother. This was all wrong.

“Let me show you what real dragon love can feel like.” He was still breathing words into her ear. “I can taste your need, your desire, Arabella. Let me make you scream my name while I make you mine.”

But that word— love —was what finally broke the spell. Yes, Leonidas was every inch a gorgeous dragon shifter, as much as, possibly more than, his brother. But what she felt for Lucian wasn’t mere lust—there was a kindness in his heart, a brokenness and darkness that needed her. And she couldn’t imagine in a million years if their positions were reversed, that Lucian would ever go after the woman that Leonidas had just slept with… even if he had rejected her and told her to leave.

When she pushed Leonidas away this time, she meant it. His eyes went a little wide, and he eased back to give her room.

She curled her lip in disgust. “How can you do such an awful thing? He’s your brother, Leonidas!”

This time, his smile was all smirk and no seduction. “A treasure so easily won would not have been worthy of my brother.”

What? Was this some kind of game? Fuck. “You’re an ass! I’m going to tell him.” The heat of shame and embarrassment washed through her, making her angry.

Leonidas leaned back and wiped the wetness of her kiss from his lips. “Please do. He’ll thank me.”

The coolness of his voice infuriated her. Fucking dragons. Was she just a plaything for them? “No, he won’t!” But then all her doubts flooded back.

“Well,” he said, his smirk growing stronger. “Thank you might be a bit of an exaggeration. He’ll try to kill me first. Probably burn a few holes in my hide. But it will be worth it.” The smirk faded from his face. “An unworthy mate for Lucian is something I would happily die to prevent from happening again.”

Her jealousy and anger and shame evaporated. She squinted at him, remembering the reason she was here in the first place. Information. “You mean his previous mate.”

Leonidas’s eyes went cold. “It wasn’t carrying a dragonling that killed Cara.”

Cara? Lucian had never mentioned her name.

“Her love for him wasn’t True,” Leonidas added. He nailed her with those sapphire blue eyes. “I had to see, little Arabella, if you were just hot for my brother’s bed, and any dragon would do, or if you truly thought you were in love. Because it will break Lucian if your love isn’t True, and I simply won’t allow that to happen.”

A surge of excitement made her step forward and lift her chin. “I am in love with him. I have no idea how to tell if it’s a True Love or not, but I know this—I don’t know anywhere near what I need to know to figure it out. And all of this is related to a treaty no one will explain to me. That’s why I’m here. You need to tell me, Leonidas. If you care about Lucian the way you claim…” She dared him with her eyes. “The way I do… then you’ll tell me what I need to know.”

The man actually took a step back and regarded her as if she had transformed into a strange magical beast in front of his eyes. “You really mean that.” He said it like he was stunned.

She balled up her fists. “I need to know the truth, Leonidas—I’m a lawyer, for fuck’s sake. Show me the treaty. Let me read it. Let me figure this thing out.”

His eyebrows went up first, then he gave a dry laugh. “It’s in dragontongue, Bella dear. Every dragon is born knowing how to read it, but it would be indecipherable to you.”

“Then tell me what it says.” Asshole. She left that part unspoken because she was finally close to getting some real answers.

He examined her for a beat, then two, and slowly nodded. “All right, little human. I’ll tell you all the secrets of the House of Smoke and the fae realm and every other small and terribly horrible thing that you really don’t want to know… if you make me a promise.”

“What promise?” Negotiations, good. This was her realm.

“That if you can’t truly love my brother—if you have even the slightest, tiny doubt—that you will leave. Leave the keep. Leave my brother. And never come back.”

“Deal.” She lifted her chin. “If I can’t love your brother, I have no reason to be here.”

He narrowed his eyes but nodded. Then he gestured for her to come in the rest of the way to his lair, bringing her to his beautifully appointed great room with the bright white leather couch. He indicated that she sit, and she did, but her body was a live wire of energy waiting to hear what he had to say.

He took a seat next to her. “To understand the treaty, you need to know how it came about.”

She nodded.

“The Winter and Summer fae draw from the two poles of energy,” Leonidas said, draping his arm across the back of the couch, looking substantially more relaxed. “The Winter fae are pretty much assholes, predictably cold and very erratic. The Summer fae are no less strange, but they tend to be warmer and more… passionate. Ten thousand years ago, the Summer Queen, like many queens before her, had many lovers. There was only one king, mind you, a true fae who could give her pure fae children. But this Summer Queen broke the one and only rule among their kind… she fell in love with one of her lovers.”

“Sounds like a lot of drama for drawing up a treaty.” Arabella hope she was getting the truth from Leonidas, and this wasn’t some kind of game he was playing with her. Again.

“Patience,” he said with a smile. “As I said, you need to understand how it came about.”

She waved for him to hurry it up.

“The Queen of the Summer Court fell love with a dragon.” He dipped his chin and stared at her with his beautiful blue eyes, giving her that same sultry smirk that he had lavished on her by the door. “Perhaps you can imagine how that might’ve happened?”

She definitely could. Her face heated up with remembered shame, but she pushed through it. “Seducing a human is one thing. Seducing a Fae Queen must’ve been an altogether more difficult task.”

Leonidas broke out into a broad grin, and he gave a half laugh. “I can see why Lucian can’t seem to let you go.”

That made her blush in an entirely different way. “Get on with it.” She scowled to try to bring back the seriousness. And to wipe away the heat on her face. “We don’t have time to mess around. You didn’t see Lucian in my apartment. He almost turned into…”

Leonidas’s smile fled, and a frown crashed down on his face. “Turned into what?”

She shook her head. “I don’t know. He wouldn’t explain it. Cinaed refused to say a word. But Lucian was losing control. Like his dragon was taking over.”

Leonidas’s face opened in surprise. Then he rubbed both hands across his face, scrubbing it. He looked back to her. “But he contained it, right?”

She nodded, lips pursed tight.

He shook his head and stared at the couch between them for a moment. “Fuck,” he said softly. “I thought for sure we had more time.”

“More time for what?” she demanded, peering at him. “I need to know, Leonidas.”

He nodded and looked at her thoughtfully. “That was his wyvern form. It’s an animal—a wild animal, Arabella. It is the end of his human life. A form of evolution, I suppose, but if a dragon doesn’t take a mate and successfully spawn a dragonling, that is what he will turn into.”

She drew back. “So that’s what Lucian meant when he said the clock was ticking for him. That he would die.”

He nodded. “That is true for every dragon, but my brother carries the additional burden of the treaty.”

“Tell me.” She gave him her most determined look.

He pulled in a breath and continued. “The Queen of the Summer Court fell in love with her dragon lover, and she bore him a child. A child conceived of love and magic—half dragon and half fae. Only the King of the Summer Court, the fae husband, found out. Apparently, it is one thing to have a lover, and another thing entirely to bring children into the world from that coupling—something that only could have been done voluntarily. Apparently, the fae do not accidentally get pregnant, not unlike dragons. You cannot imagine the wrath of that fae husband. The magic they have, Arabella, is like nothing you’ve ever seen. The world literally shook.”

She just nodded for him to keep going.

“The queen made a magical vow to protect her lover and their child and all of humanity from the wrath of the fae. She foresaw that she would have to protect her dragon children in perpetuity, or her husband would find a way around the binding magic and eventually kill her progeny. She sealed it with her love, and it was given further power by her death at the hands of her husband. When the magical smoke cleared, her fae children could not believe they were bound by a magical vow their mother had made… all to serve their bastard half-brother and their mother’s promise to her lover. It was a wonder that dragonkind survived at all—indeed, a great many Houses perished in the subsequent wrath. The House of Smoke alone was untouchable, and they sheltered many of the other Houses from the fae husband. Eventually, the King of the Summer Court had finished venting his wrath. Passions cooled, and the conditions of the vow were made clear.”

“Is this vow the same as the treaty?” Her eyes were wide, taking this all in.

“Nearly so. The treaty is an agreement between the Summer and Winter Courts to abide by the conditions of the magical vow the queen made in her death throes. It keeps them from war over it. The vow says that as long as a child of the House of Smoke lives, no fae may kill any dragon whose lineage traces back to the Summer Queen. As a safeguard to allow the House of Smoke to continue to propagate, she included the protection of humanity under her vow, as all human females were potential mates and would be necessary to the continuation of the House.”

“So that’s how the treaty protects humans—it prevents the fae from harming us so we can mate with dragons.” Her mind was spinning with all this. From what little she knew of the fae, in her encounter with a prince of the Winter Court, that protection was vital. She couldn’t even imagine what the world would suddenly be like if the fae were able to mess with humans whenever they liked.

“Yes. Specifically, so you can mate with the House of Smoke. Very specifically, with the crown prince.”

“Lucian.” It really did all come down to him.

Leonidas nodded solemnly. “This treaty was made when humanity was just a small tribe wandering the grasslands in Africa. The dragons had been mating with them for millennia, depending on them to perpetuate their species. The queen needed to ensure that that small population would continue—otherwise, the fae could simply wipe out humanity and by extension wipe out dragonkind. Of course, she could not possibly have imagined the evolution of the human race into its current form. But you’re still just as vulnerable to the fae as you were when you were scrabbling around, learning how to plant wheat and gather berries.”

“So if Lucian doesn’t have a dragonling… why can’t you or Lucian’s other brother—Leksander—fulfill the treaty?” This seemed overly restrictive to her. Especially considering the fate of humanity rested on it.

“Well, the fae are very particular about their treaties and the exact wording of them. It’s difficult to translate the original dragontongue, but it essentially says, “the first surviving spawn” of the King and Queen of the House of Smoke that carries fae blood. And that’s Lucian. Triplets are so incredibly unusual among dragonkind, there’s no real specification for it in the treaty. Normally, there is only a single dragonling. And since Lucian lived, and was the first dragonling to do so, he fulfills the treaty. Which is a good thing, because I managed to fuck up my chances to ever truly mate long ago.”

She frowned. “What did you do?”

He shook his head and waved it off. “It involves a witch, a curse, and a lot of sex. And it’s a story for another day. What you need to know, Arabella Sharp, is that the treaty very specifically says that, not only does the House of Smoke have to propagate its line, but that any female who mates with the dragon prince from the House of Smoke must truly be in love with her dragon. The Fae Queen’s vow was born of love—a True Love that transcended the differences between fae and dragon, and even transcended death. That’s powerful magic, and it’s encoded in the vow and the treaty. There can be no doubt about this love.”

Arabella nodded. “It has to be a True Love. That’s what Lucian said.”

“Yes. And you, Arabella, will not survive the sealing and the bearing of a dragonling unless your love is True. I believe that’s what killed Cara—a moment of doubt is all it takes. It’s one reason why the drive to procreate is so strong among dragons. Because we must try again and again and again.”

She swallowed, the horror of that sinking in.

“Is that really what you want to sign up for?” he asked pointedly.

She just frowned. How would she ever know for sure that her love was True? “I don’t understand—isn’t it natural for there to be some doubt in how much you love someone?” Not that she really knew anything about love. That much was clear from every relationship she had ever had. At least, prior to Lucian. She was in completely uncharted territory with him.

Leonidas shrugged. “I’m sure I wouldn’t know. I haven’t ever been in love, personally.”

She raised her eyebrows. “Never?”

He waved it off again. “What matters is this—only True Love will make the treaty work. Only True Love will keep the realms apart. Only True Love will allow you to survive this, Arabella. If you’re not the woman for this, stand aside. Let Lucian find someone who is.”

A horrible squeezing feeling pressed down on her chest. She didn’t know what to say to that, so she just nodded and rose up from the couch.

Leonidas watched her carefully.

“Thank you,” she mumbled. “Thank you for being honest with me.” She turned and hurried toward the front door, letting herself out. Leonidas didn’t follow. She wanted to believe he was lying to her, but she didn’t. Every word he said had the ring of truth to it.

Only True Love will allow you to survive…

But how would she ever know?