36. Chapter 36
The dull roar of thunder woke Daxton. His beast side pushed its claws and wings against his skin. The overcast sky created a shadowy atmosphere in his room. He tuned to Izzy. A wall of silence greeted him. He sensed her near the end of the bed.
Turning over, he made out her silhouette. She stood hunched at the end of the bed with her back to him, a throw blanket covering her thin frame.
“Izzy?”
Her head bowed, and a sob escaped her lips.
His heart skipped. “What is it?” He resisted going to her, not sure how she’d react.
A choked laugh broke free between her sobs. He sat up. Mystified, he held his breath, waiting for her to answer.
“I’m sorry.” She hiccupped. “Just feeling a little overwhelmed by the link.”
“What happened?” He scooted across the bed and wrapped his arms around her back.
She leaned into his embrace. “It’s just as we thought—my spirit fused to my body. I feel stuck, but free all at the same time. It’s a miracle, but…” Her body shuddered around a sob, breaking his heart. “I think the link merged our spirits, and we’re sharing life energy.”
“Why does that upset you?”
“What if I’ve condemned you to the same fate? Death won’t take us to Heaven unless I can collect my feathers.”
“Hmm…” He pressed his lips against her ear. “It’s concerning, but it doesn’t sound all that bad. Especially since we have time to collect your feathers now.”
“Fotios is out there.”
He cradled her chin and turned her until her red and swollen eyes met his. “We will deal with him. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
“How can you be so confident?”
“When a woman like you falls for a man like me, how can I not be?”
She smiled at him.
“Speaking of which”—he pulled her in closer—“we should celebrate our new bond.”
She kissed him with soft lips. The storm outside the cabin rolled by, gradual and heavy, as their passion took hold.
Only instinct and emotion reigned. Daxton took it slow, since it was so soon after her first time.
Lips caressed, hands stroked, bodies melded, and they climaxed together with a burst of lightning and a clash of thunder.
They stared at the rain outside the window as they lay with their bodies tangled.
The sun’s rays lit his room as day broke from behind the veil of gloomy clouds. Daxton remained awake with Izzy’s sleeping form on his chest and ran his fingers through her soft hair. The third Mark had left him whole. His dragon rested so peacefully it snored.
He glanced down as Izzy stretched against him. Her nipples beaded as they rubbed against his body. A spike of heat scored down his shaft.
“You awake?” Daxton murmured against her ear. She nuzzled into him with an adorable smile.
“I would much rather be asleep,” she said.
He chuckled. His rising torso moved her with him.
“Did I hear that correctly?” he asked.
She huffed and crossed her arms atop his chest. Resting her chin on them, she gazed at him. “You’re comfortable.”
His lungs expanded with a deep, satisfied breath.
A pounding at the door made Izzy jump.
What the hell? He slipped out from under her and pulled on a pair of sweatpants. Izzy scrambled to put on a pair of sweatpants he tossed her.
“Daxton,” Silas yelled. “Hurry up.”
Foregoing a shirt, he shot down the stairs and opened the door to find Simon standing there, head bent. Silas stood behind him.
“What’s going on?” Daxton asked.
“Simon?” Izzy asked, coming up behind Daxton dressed in his clothes.
Silas cleared his throat. “You want to tell them, or should I?”
Red-faced, Simon opened his mouth to speak, but a noise chirped in the silence.
“Is that a phone?” Izzy eyed Simon’s pocket. “But you handed yours over?”
“He snuck another one in here,” Silas said.
Izzy’s fear along the link overpowered the anger heating Daxton’s back.
“What, why?” Izzy asked.
“Bloody hell. You’ve done it now,” Simon muttered toward Silas. “This wouldn’t have been an issue if you’d just listened to me.” He rummaged through his pockets and yanked out the phone.
Simon’s wide eyes begged for forgiveness as he handed Izzy the phone. “It will not be for me.”
She stepped around Daxton and took it with shaking fingers.
“Hello?” she asked.
“Izzy.” Fotios’s voice grated along Daxton’s spine and sent his heart racing. The feeling intensified with Izzy’s reaction along the link, making Daxton woozy for a moment.
“I taught you, a patient hand builds great success,” Fotios said. “Dragons may hide behind a veil of Influence, but it’s not hard to flush them out. Especially when I’ve finally tracked the phone you’re on.”
Daxton clenched his fists.
Fotios’s tone turned darker. “How trusting you are now—it’s maddening. Why don’t you just give in already?”
Izzy’s face flushed, anger spearing through the link. “What is your plan?”
“I’m not done teaching you lessons, Isi. Do you care for the dragons around you? It’d be horrid if their home burned down. Meet me where you buried my memory. Come alone.”
“Why?”
“You have twenty-four hours. Don’t keep me waiting.”
The air shimmered, particles of light floating in the atmosphere around Izzy.
Simon took a step back while Silas gazed from her to Daxton.
Power exuded from her pores, heating the space and pressurizing it.
The phone cracked in her grasp. It was almost like when he’d found her in the parking garage, wings adorning her human form, as if she were shifting into a Fallen form. Beautiful but dangerous.
“Why?” She shoved the phone into Simon’s chest.
Simon swallowed and bumped back into Silas.
“Why would you let him manipulate you?” she yelled.
“I—I didn’t,” Simon squeaked.
Along the link, Daxton could feel the fury and fear curling her tongue, making her want to snap. It was almost as dangerous as a dragon without control. Daxton wrenched his dragon into gear and listened to instinct. He traced his fingers down the center of Izzy’s back. She twitched.
“Izzy. Center yourself.” He sent the thought to her along their link, not sure if she heard him. Resting his hand on her lower back, he rubbed circles with his thumb.
“Thank you.” Her voice came back into his mind. The pressure in the air released, and her shoulders slumped. “Then why did you have it?”
“In the garage, before you came, he made me take the phone. He warned me not to tell you because he said he’d Summon you and kill you.”
She closed her eyes and rubbed her temples. “You know I didn’t trust him with my Angelic name.” Her eyes popped open. “You are the only one who knows that name.”
“Yes.” He smiled. “Which was something I didn’t think he’d expect I knew. Anyway, I knew you could use it to contact him or at the very least we could use it to track him, but I had to keep the signal blocked so he couldn’t track it. Something Silas didn’t listen to me about.”
Silas raised his hands in defense. “For all I knew, he was another puppet.”
Daxton’s jaw tightened. Some puppets didn’t give off a dark feeling in their spirit energies, especially if they were new. So it made sense. Still, it showed just how strong Simon was that Fotios couldn’t Influence him.
“Were you able to track him?” Daxton asked.
Izzy raised a hand. “It doesn’t matter. I know where he is, and I need to borrow your plane.”
“What?” Like hell if she thinks…
She turned to him, gaze penetrating his heart. Her mind whirled along the link, like the pages of a book caught in a storm. She was devising a plan.
“I need to go to England,” she said.
“Are you fucking kidding me?”