Legacy: The Niteclif Evolutions, Book 1 (17 page)

I looked at him,
really
looked at him. I wanted him so badly, but Tarrek was out there somewhere. I couldn’t do this, not now, not with obligation weighing down on me.

“Bay…” I didn’t know how to say this. Looking at me, he recognized the hesitation in my face and he released me, stepping back. “I’m so sorry.”
Damn it.

“No apologies, Maddy. You feel as you feel. It only means I’ll have to wait you out, and I reckon I’m one of the most patient blokes in the world. I’ve waited over…let’s just say I’ve waited a very long time for you,” he said light-heartedly.

“Give me some time, Bay. It’s been too much, too fast. All of it.” I sighed heavily and stepped back, putting some distance between us. And then I smiled. “How old
are
you, anyway?”

Holding his finger over my lips he said, “First, no apologies. I meant that. And I’m much older than you.” He turned, walked to the bed and straightened the bedding, folding it back to some sort of order. “I’m going to suggest we sleep together—”

“We discussed that,” I said snarkily. “And how much older?”

“Ah, but we weren’t discussing
sleep
, my love.” He waggled his eyebrows and I laughed, the tension broken just like that. “I think it’s safer if, from this point on, we’re not separated. You’re going to be hunted by the High Council for the murder of Gretta. And apparently whoever is murdering different beings is after my stone. Do you agree that we should stick together?”

I nodded. I was reeling from his shift from sex to murder, and I felt like I had a tenuous grip on reality, at best. I was going to need him to walk me through this and, according to his sister, save my ass.

There was only one answer: “I agree.”

“Then let’s put all this aside,” he said, waving a hand between the two of us, “and focus on finding a murderer and saving our own skins.” He crawled into bed and rolled onto his side, opening his arms to me.

“And Tarrek, Bay,” I said. “We need to focus on finding Tarrek. And, uh, I still need clothes.”

He sighed and closed his eyes for a moment. “Dreams never fade,” he said, reopening his eyes and looking at me very directly, “though I never imagined taking you to bed with the faerie between us, even figuratively.” He ran his hand back and forth over the silk sheets, the hiss of skin on the fabric seeming to thunder through my ears. “The clothes are sitting on the bed in the other bedroom. Hurry and change before I do my best to change your mind, Maddy.”

For the second time in less than twelve hours, I hurried.

Bahlin had set out a pair of sweats and a black V-neck T-shirt. I pulled the clothes on, grateful for the solid shirt even if I didn’t have what I now thought of as the luxury of underwear. I padded back across the hallway to his bedroom, and he opened his arms to me again.

“Just sleep, right?”

He smiled, his eyes flashing color to ice blue and back. “Of course. It’s what we negotiated.”

“Negotiated?”

“Never forget, Maddy, that I’m a dragon at heart. When you’re dealing with mythological creatures, and particularly dragons, vampires and the fae, you will need to negotiate everything. We are selfish creatures as a general rule, though we can be ruled by our hearts on rare occasions.”

I thought about that. Had he stopped his seduction because he was following his heart or because I had somehow negotiated it without meaning to? Questions for another time. I was exhausted. I walked to the bed and sat on the edge, pulling one knee up to my chin and looking over at Bahlin.

“I’m too tired to go through negotiations, especially since I didn’t know I needed to, so here are my terms: sleep. Only sleep. No nasty, not now, not ever.”

“Not acceptable.”

“Come again?” Oh shit, not what I meant. “I mean—”

Bahlin roared with laughter, rolling onto his back and tucking his hands behind his head. “No sex, not now and I’ll agree to not seduce you while you’re in this bed
this time
. All bets are off when you leave the bed, though.”

“No nasty, no
attempt
at the nasty, until we get back to London and get a bead on Tarrek.”

“Son of a bitch, Maddy. That could be weeks.” He exploded into a sitting position, throwing the covers back to reveal his still impressive erection.

“Take it or leave it, Bay,” I said softly. “Because I’m sure Tarrek would find the terms acceptable if your positions were reversed.”

“Don’t bloody bet on it, love,” he said darkly. He seemed to truly think things over before he answered. “Fine. I agree.”

I crawled into bed and lay down on my side, resting my head on the pillow closest to me. He reached out and snagged me around the waist, pulling me close as he spooned me, and nestled himself between my ass cheeks. I began to struggle, and he laughed darkly.

“You didn’t negotiate no cuddling, love. Sweet dreams.”

Damned dragons
, was the last thought I had before sleep claimed me. This time I dreamed.

Chapter Eight

I was walking through the forest wearing a medieval-looking gown that felt familiar to me. It was more appropriate for a Renaissance fair than a nature hike. Where had I seen it before? The night was moonless, and there wasn’t a star in the sky. It wasn’t the gentle dark that comes with sweet dreams, but the cold and calculating dark of nightmares. I shivered from the bones out.

“Run,” hissed a deep voice that was neither male nor female. “Run as fast and as far as you dare, you American whore,” said the voice.

Almost involuntarily my legs began to pump, faster and faster still, until I was tearing through the forest blindly, not watching where my feet went. I put my hands up as if to ward off the unseen blows of limbs slapping at my face. My mind echoed with the words, and it gave me pause.

I’m no whore,
I thought timidly and then more firmly. “I’m no whore,” I yelled. “Who the hell are you to be throwing down the verbal gauntlet?” I taunted, leaning back and forcing my legs to either slow or allow me to fall. They slowed. Then I stopped, spinning in a circle and I screamed out, “Coward.”

The blow landed on my shoulders and made me face-plant into the dead leaves and moss of the forest floor. I choked on the detritus in my mouth, spitting it out. Warmth spilled down my face, and I realized I’d bit my bottom lip when I hit the ground and I’d split my forehead open at my hairline. It didn’t hurt, which meant it was either nothing much or something serious. I pushed up to my knees and took a well-placed kick to the ribs. Grunting, I went back down. That was going to leave a mark.

The asexual voice seemed to come from all around me when it said, “Do you challenge me?” It sounded amused.

I couldn’t breathe to answer.

“I didn’t think so,” it chuckled. “Now let me spell this out—”

An iron fist gripped my shoulder, and I wheezed in fear.

“Get up.”

I struggled to my hands and knees and pushed myself to kneeling, wavering slightly and holding my side. A light shown in the darkness, and I turned my face to it just as the voice bellowed.

“No.
I
rule this night. You’ve no leave to be here.”

And I was yanked from the forest floor, airborne with a dragon for the second time in less than a day.

“Maddy?” came Bahlin’s voice.

I was confused. He sounded worried. My eyes fluttered, and I smiled up at him. “Why did you glow?”

“Huh? Sweetheart, I didn’t. I felt you twitching and then you grunted and began bleeding, the wounds and bruises appearing as I watched.” Bahlin gathered me up in his arms and cradled me close to his chest with amazing tenderness for such a large man. He bent to bury his face in my hair. “Meditating to dream walk with you again was the hardest damned thing I’ve done in more than two centuries. I didn’t know if I’d be able to relax while I watched you fight some unseen battle.”

“Ow.” I cringed as I tried to twist to a more comfortable position in his arms. “I think calling it a nightmare walk would be more accurate. I got my ass kicked in record time.”

He held me away from him and looked into my face, wiping the blood from my brow. “No jokes, Madeline.” He kissed my lips gently. “Why did you ask if I glowed?”

“I saw you coming for me, and you were glowing and you told me to get up. I turned to face you right as you snatched me…up. You snatched me up. You came from above.”

He looked concerned. “Of course I did, Maddy. I sent my dragon form into your dream this time because I could tell something violent was happening. I wanted his power available to you. I plucked you from above because I was flying when I hit the dream.”

I pushed myself to sitting in his lap, finding it ironic that I found myself repeating the same events of our first night together. “You came from above—”

“So I think we’ve established, Maddy.”

“Stop it. Someone was coming through the forest…”

“Do you have a concussion?” Bahlin asked, feeling around on my head for any major knots, then gripping my chin and looking at my eyes.

“Stop it. I’m serious. I think it was Tarrek.”

“I’m being serious. It wouldn’t be unreasonable except we don’t know if he’s…” Bahlin looked away, clearly uncomfortable.

“He’s not dead,” I said vehemently. “I’m not too late.”

“Who was this voice?” Bahlin set me down on the bed and walked into the bathroom, calling over his shoulder, “I’m listening, go ahead.”

“Uh, I don’t know exactly.”

“Male or female?” he called back.

“Both?” I said, knowing it sounded impossible. “Didn’t you see anyone when you snatched me up?”

He walked back out of the bathroom, still in his boxers, and carrying a small basket of first aid supplies and a handful of damp washrags. “Forgive me, darling, but you were my priority,” he said wryly.

“Sure, and don’t get me wrong, I’m
very
glad you showed up when you did. But I need to know who the voice was, and how Tarrek was able to dream walk into my sleep.” I winced as Bahlin sat on the edge of the bed, and my abs tightened involuntarily to keep me sitting upright.

“Sorry,” he said quietly. “This is going to sting a little.” And faster than thought he slapped a rag on my forehead.

“Son of a bitch!” I jerked my head back so hard it bounced off the wall. Whatever was in the rag burned nearly as bad as his dragon fire had. “What
is
that stuff?”

“Uh, some type of antibacterial stuff Brylanna had in the wash cabinet. I know it burns. She’s used it on me before.”

He didn’t look nearly contrite enough for me, and I reached up to yank his hand away. He relented, and I glared at him. “Next time just do that dragon magic stuff. It hurts about the same,” I groused.

“‘That dragon magic stuff?’” he said, amused. He set down the rag and began digging through the basket, coming up with butterfly bandages and liquid stitches.

“Whatever. But no more of that crap.”

He leaned over me and treated the split in my forehead, holding the edges of the wound together. “It’s only about an inch wide,” he said, answering the unasked question that must have been written on my face. “I don’t think it will scar.” He added a couple of butterfly bandages then kept his hand cupping my head. The simple touch was my undoing.

Suddenly the fear from the dream came crashing back down on me, and I shuddered.

“Maddy?” Bahlin dropped his hand.

I launched myself at him, both of us grunting as I slammed into his upper body. His arms automatically caught me, wrapping me up in a strong embrace. I wrapped my arms around his neck and lifted my chin up. We were suddenly face to face. My legs snaked around his waist, and I clung to him like he was my lifeline. His lips caressed mine in a butterfly’s kiss, and I shuddered for a new reason. This validation of life was as good an excuse as any, but if I was honest with myself, Bahlin chased away the fear and raised in me a sense of passion that I’d never before experienced. I pulled his head down to me and kissed him, expressing that passion with a deep, hard kiss. Our tongues touched tentatively at first, growing bolder with each pass. Suddenly he was exploring my mouth as if he were on a mapping expedition. I moaned into him, breathing harder by the second. He gripped the back of my head and fisted my hair as much as he was able, holding me firmly to his mouth. Bahlin’s erection jutted out from his boxers, tenuously contained by the small button on the fly.

Wrapping his arms tighter, he lifted me up and laid me back on the mattress, fitting his body over mine. Bahlin continued to kiss me, and I felt like I was going up in flames. No man had
ever
kissed me like this. It was insane the feelings it produced. My core throbbed and ached with wanting him. I ground my hips into his instinctively, and he lifted his mouth off mine with an unsteady gasp.

“By the goddess, Maddy,” he said, breathing hard through his nose. “You’ll kill me before we get to the good part if you don’t quit.” He flashed a grin and dove back for my mouth. The split lip had ceased to ache under the onslaught, and I hadn’t even noticed. I wondered fleetingly if he’d healed me again. Curious but definitely a question for later…much later.

I twisted my head to the side and pushed at Bahlin’s chest and he gave way, falling onto his back though not without protest.

“Don’t tell me you want to stop, Maddy, or you’ll see a grown man cry, I swear it.” His face was serious while his eyes were full of mischief.

“Oh no, dragon boy, I’m not stopping. I only want you in a better position,” I whispered, dropping my lips to his bare chest. I rained kisses over his collarbones and down between his pectorals. I made it to his chocolaty nipple and latched on, forcing a gasp from him as he arched his back. I sucked harder, running a hand down to caress him and he groaned.

“Maddy,” he rasped, one hand reaching for my hair and the other fisting in the sheets.

“So you like that?”

“Too much talking,” he growled and, grabbing my shoulders, flipped me onto my back.

I squeaked with alarm and then he was ripping my clothes from my body with enough force to lift me off the bed. Without the semi-protection of underwear, I was suddenly naked before him. What had been a pup tent was suddenly a circus tent at the front of his boxers, and I worried for the barest moment.
Would he be built like other men?