WickedBeast (19 page)

“No. How to explain this? I want you and that means keeping
you alive and safe first. Having the pleasure of fucking your brains out is a
result of keeping you safe. See?”

“That was exactly how to explain it,” she said softly.

He chuckled. “As soon as we’re safe and Minuet is somehow
occupied, expect the dragon, honey.”

“If you’re trying the scare me, it’s not working,” she
informed him.

“Good. Now go to sleep before I’d lose my mind,” Cord
growled.

He was keeping it light for her, but the drive to claim his
woman had reached a new level. The intoxicating taste she’d given him was as
addictive as he had told her it would be. For humans, the practice of
domination and submission was all about power exchange. The public view of a
relationship at this level was a caricature, a cartoon of what the reality
could be. Knowing that Kelly was not afraid to go there with him had the same
result as waving raw meat in front of a hungry tiger. Unpredictable and
powerful were the responses she drew from him.

His need of her was unpredictable because she overwhelmed
him, the craving could become ruthless. He would certainly become more
dangerous as their relationship deepened. He had nothing to gage what they were
doing by. As far as he knew, no dragon had ever truly claimed a mate. The three
elemental dragons being created to need exactly that had been another gamble,
the next generation in power.

What he was feeling, what humans called emotions, translated
to primal survival instincts in a beast. Dragons did not possess emotions.
Protecting his new family at whatever cost was an imperative. Developing a
growing need of them was a new outcome.

This was the elemental change Marelda and her cohorts had
worked in them. Need was a foreign concept to dragons. Dragons took what they
wanted. Taking is a basic activity, concern is not required. The welfare of any
other not considered unless there was another agenda.

Cord found his agenda had changed dramatically. Luckily the
welfare of this society would have a positive impact on Kelly and Minuet.
Keeping dragons well hidden from humans was necessary to best protect them. If
that were not the case, he doubted he would have much interest. But Kelly
would. Through her the old witch had indeed ensured her agenda. It was a very
effective circle, brilliant even.

Kelly woke in her bed. The sun was already up and she could
smell coffee tempting her from the kitchen. Not only that, Minuet was
downstairs laughing at something Cord said.

She got up slowly, sitting on the edge of the bed for a few
moments. She knew they were leaving today. Should she pack? Probably not. They
were leaving to elude the ones looking for them, so it would be important to
look normal. Not as if they were running away.

After a quick shower, Kelly arrived in the kitchen just as
Minuet finished her bowl of cereal. Minuet hopped up and ran to fling herself
against Kelly’s legs in a hug.

“We fly airplane,” Minuet declared in excitement. “Cord
said.”

“That’s right. We’re going on an airplane today. Do you know
what that is?” Kelly asked her daughter as she lifted her for a big morning
hug.

“I knows it,” Minuet declared indignantly. “It shiny wings
in sky.”

“So when do we leave?” Kelly asked her daughter.

“Anytime you’re ready,” Cord answered as he slid an arm
around her waist and dropped a kiss on her forehead.

“Don’t these planes have schedules?” Kelly asked a bit
amused as his hand glided down her back and over her butt.

“I’m sure they do,” he said casually. “But since we have to
drive off and not head for an airport, I’ve arranged for us to drive to the
mall and be picked up in the parking lot by a limo. We have to get to the East
Coast to catch the commercial fight, so we’ll take my jet to New York.”

“No bags?” Kelly asked as Minuet returned to her seat and
Kelly took the cup of coffee Cord had fixed for her.

“No, we’ll get what we need when we arrive,” Cord assured
her.

“I guess I’d better call my prospective employer and tell
him that I’ll not be showing up Monday.” Kelly took a long sip of coffee. It
was made perfectly.

“I’ll be happy to take care of that,” he said a bit too
quickly.

Kelly was slightly surprised at Cord’s offer. “He’s never
met you. How could you do it?”

“Pick up the phone and tell the person on the other end that
you will not be available for that job,” Cord supplied.

“Ah, that’s okay. I’ll take care of it,” Kelly assured him,
unsure what this really was about. It seemed strange for Cord to make that
offer.

“Here’s your cell phone,” Cord pulled it out of his pocket.
“I cancelled the land line a little earlier. Hope you don’t mind.”

“No.” Kelly took her cell from him, her puzzlement growing.
“We’ll not need it now. Did you call and cancel the appointment?”

“I paid the workman and sent him on his way half an hour
ago.” Cord turned to the stove. “Would you like scrambled eggs on toast? Minuet
and I have perfected it. She puts the toast in and I supply the eggs when it’s
done.”

“Sounds lovely.” she smiled at Minute who’d run to the
toaster. There was a stout wooden stool for her to stand on and she was
carefully dropping two slices in the slot. “You are very good at that.”

Kelly stepped out the back door to make her call, unsure why
she was uncomfortable to do it in front of Cord and Minuet. Her prospective
boss answered his line and was not surprised to hear from her. Molly had spoken
with him yesterday and mentioned that Kelly’s plans had changed as well. The
man was abrupt. Kelly could understand that. He’d just lost one highly skilled
employee and the other person he’d hired. Now he had two vacancies instead of
one.

Cord’s eyes were on her as she returned to the kitchen. He
took the frying pan off the heat and strode over to her, taking her coffee cup
and putting it on the counter before gathering her in his arms. “What did the
bastard say? I can maim him for you.”

Kelly gently grasped bulging biceps as she looked up at her
bristling dragon and she had to laugh. “What? Of course he was upset. He needs
someone doing the job. Two of us just bailed on him.”

An eyebrow on Cord’s forehead rose slowly. “I couldn’t care
less. If he was rude to you, I’d like to know,” he said, the rumble in his
voice sinking right down to her bones.

“He was civil,” Kelly said around a smile tilting up her
lips. Her body rubbed up against his as her arms went around his neck to pull
his head down. Her voice was barely a whisper in the hopes that Minuet would
not hear it as she directed. “Now kiss me, sexy beast. Jealousy seems to have
turned me on.”

Cord growled as his lips dipped willingly to her mouth. The
kiss sizzled with frustration as he plunged into her. His back to Minuet, Cord
took full advantage as his hands grasped her ass and pulled her into his body.

Needing to express desire was foreign to him and yet
inescapable. Never before had he sought what he wanted from Kelly now. He was
seeking her response, hungering for her in ways that had nothing to do with
feeding from her. It wasn’t comfortable.

His tongue swept in her, and fire shot down her body. Kelly
rippled in pleasure as he took her in that kiss. Oh yes, the dragon was
possessive. It was immensely flattering though unwarranted in this case.

She was a little uneasy about what would happen if someone
did make a pass at her. It wasn’t as if it happened all the time. She saw
herself as very average looking, except for the tall part. Men liked to look at
tall women, they lost nerve past that. But who could think about stupid men
when a dragon was doing this?

A little body barreled into the back of Cord’s legs. “We
hugging?” Minuet asked. “Me too.”

She wiggled around and Cord reached down with one arm,
lifting her easily to be included in the hugs, which was all they were doing
now.

Breakfast went quickly. Minuet was too excited to let Kelly
linger over it.

“Can I bing bears?” Minuet needed to know.

“Of course, but only one,” Kelly admonished.

The list of questions was endless. It was impossible to stem
them. Her quick mind kept jumping to pertinent questions. “Does shiny wings has
potty?”

Cord left most of the answers to Kelly as he checked the
house and locked up. It was ten a.m. when they climbed into Cord’s truck and
headed toward the city. They left the truck in the mall parking lot, getting
directly into a waiting limo.

The big car, while exciting at first for Minuet, soon lost
its glow as they still had to drive an hour to the large city. As they entered
the suburbs, Minuet became quiet. Shortly she was cuddled up beside Kelly, her
eyes closed.

“Tired, sweetie?” Kelly asked.

“I sleep,” Minuet agreed.

Cord observed the active child’s subdued behavior with
growing concern. In the short time he’d known her, Minuet hadn’t take a nap and
only wound down late in the day. Considering her excitement about the trip,
this change in behavior was even more unexpected.

“Is she okay?” he asked Kelly softly has as Minuet dropped
into sleep.

“I don’t know. I didn’t expect her to be this calm about
traveling,” Kelly said as her hand moved over Minuet’s hair in a comforting
mother’s pet. “She doesn’t have a fever and I don’t see any other signs of
illness.”

“Her body is working properly,” Cord assured Kelly. “I can
monitor her heart and several other involuntary functions. I’ll let you know if
anything changes. For right now, if she wants sleep, it’s probably what she
needs.”

At the airport, the driver was able to take them on the
tarmac to park next to Cord’s plane. Minuet woke up but was strangely groggy.
Cord carried her on to the plane.

Having no bags made boarding and takeoff occur with amazing
speed. It seemed to Kelly that everyone they met in the process managed to bow
slightly to Cord. Perhaps that was the influence of money.

Cord certainly knew how to make things happen, always ready
with a plan and the means to execute it. It was more privilege than she was
used to.

Cord settled them in plush chairs and Minuet dropped back
into a deep sleep. A few minutes later the pilot taxied onto the runway and
they had a short wait for their turn to take off. Once in the air, Minuet sat
up slowly.

“How are you feeling, honey? We have chocolate I think.
Would you like a candy bar? If it’s okay with your mom,” he corrected himself
quickly.

“A chocolate bar sounds good,” Kelly agreed. The boost of
sugar in Minuet’s system might help, she figured.

Minuet went with Cord to find the chocolate, behaving more
like herself. Cord’s jet was exciting, but this time she settled in the window
seat with her candy. They had food and a potty on the jet as well. Minuet
approved of the arrangements.

As they approached the East Coast, Cord made a point of
watching Minuet’s reactions. Sure enough, the closer they came to the
mega-populated area, the more subdued Minuet became. By the time they landed,
Minuet’s head was in her mother’s lap and she was sleeping once more.

The jet pulled to a stop. “Stay right there,” he told Kelly.
“Let Minuet sleep. I have a feeling I know what the problem is, I have to make
some arrangements.”

“Well? Tell me what you think it is,” Kelly said sharply.
“And is there a problem? Is there something you don’t want to tell me?”

“I think the problem is the density of population. She’s too
young to understand what’s pressing on her through her gifts. Self-preservation
is natural instinct and the very young don’t question it. Sleep is a way of
cutting herself off, calming all the different things she feels that she has no
way of communicating to us.

“I was going to take you ladies shopping this afternoon, but
right now I just want to get us out of here. She’ll be fine when we reach
Scotland. The population where we’re going is even less than the town we just
left.”

“I hope you’re right,” Kelly said worriedly.

“Me too,” he agreed quietly. “We can’t be sure until she’s
ready to talk about it.”

Cord went up to talk to the pilot. Unfortunately he needed
an international pilot and that would take a little time. As long as Minuet
slept peacefully, it would be okay.

He needed a way to shield her from whatever was crowding
into her soul. Until Minuet found a way to talk about the problem, there was no
way he could enter her mind and figured it out. Without her consent, an attempt
would make him part of the problem. Knowing all this didn’t make it easier to watch
her fight her own battle. That was his job and she didn’t know how to let him
help.

All he could do was make his ladies comfortable and get them
out of here as quickly as possible. The plane was fueled and ready for the
international pilot when Minuet opened her eyes and grasped her head.

“Bad, berry bad. Make it stop,” she cried softly.

Kelly had her in her lap. “Honey, what’s bad? What can we
make stop?”

Cord dropped to his knees in front of them, his arms going
around both as he questioned. “Show me, Minuet. Show me in my mind so I can
help.”

In the next slot, another private jet had just pulled up.
Minuet showed both Cord and Kelly the evil she couldn’t escape in sleep. Aboard
the jet were several passengers whose sole purpose in life was death. They
carried death with them, on them, in them. Immediately Cord recognized
assassins. Minuet’s impressions were not specific, she simply felt the complete
absence of mercy in them and it physically hurt her.

“Minuet, will you let me help you sleep like I did for Mommy
when she was hurt?” he asked softly. “I have to go take care of a problem and I
don’t want you to be in pain.”

Big eyes gazed at him for a moment. “Cord gonna fix?” she
asked.