Voices yelling roused her from her thoughts. The men were pushing Cassie and the baby behind them, swords drawn. She followed their gaze.
“I come in peace.” Diego knelt on the floor, hands in the air.
“What do you want?” Aidyn asked. “Answer quickly before Marcus loses his head and takes yours.”
Lileta glanced at the vampire, his eyes dark and fangs extended. It was evident his instinct to protect was in overdrive and he sensed a possible threat to his mate and child.
“I’m here for Lileta.” He looked up at her. “Caleb needs your help.”
Marcus’s stance relaxed, and he approached the Draki. “Sorry, we are all a bit twitchy right now. I know you were among those who watched over us while my daughter was born. Thank you.”
Diego stood. “I understand the need to protect your daughter and mate. After what happened in the past, your instincts will serve you well.”
Marcus nodded then walked away.
Lileta crossed the room. The other warriors relaxed, but only slightly. Still mindful of Diego’s every move as he greeted her.
“Diego, I’m happy to see you, but what could Caleb possibly need from me?”
This should be good.
He’d made it abundantly clear he needed her for nothing.
The young Draki’s gaze shifted from her to the guardians staring him down. “Uh, Odage’s women were dumped on him along with a baby. He said you might know what to do.”
Her hand flew to her mouth. “He has the other women? All of them?”
“I’m not sure, were there three?”
“No, eight.”
“Then no. We have three that are heavy with child.” He shifted his weight.
She wondered where the others were. No time to worry about it now. These women needed help, and she would go to them. “Fine, are they back at his home?”
“Yes.”
“Lileta.” Aidyn moved to her side. “You don’t need to go. I can send one of the men, and we can bring them back here.”
“Yes, let one of the warriors go in your place. You need not see him,” Baal said, touching her arm.
She waved a hand. “I’m grateful to both of you, but I need to do this. I’m fully recovered; I’ll be fine.”
Aidyn nodded. “I understand. You will, of course, report back to me their condition? I am after all responsible for them.”
“Of course. As soon as I know something, I’ll be back.”
Aidyn seemed satisfied with her response and walked away. Baal pulled her into a hug. “I would never stop you from doing what you think is right. Just be careful,” he whispered in her ear.
“I will.” She pulled from his embrace and looked at Diego. “Let’s go.”
She flashed directly into Caleb’s living room. Ebros’s screaming laughter rang in her ears, and she stifled a giggle at the sight of the Draki sitting on the couch bouncing the boy on his knee. Witnessing the hulking dragon playing with the small child pulled at her heart strings. He would make a good father. It also brought home the hard fact that she would never be the one to give him the children he deserved. Tears stung her eyes, but she blinked them back. She would not allow this man to see her weakness.
“I don’t understand why you find this a surprise,” he called out, never looking at her. “I actually love children.” His soft brown gaze finally caught hers. “What about you? Would you like children someday?”
She could almost forgive him for the comments he’d made earlier. He seemed so sad, holding the child with a longing look in his gaze. “Someday, should I ever find my true mate.” She regretted the words as soon as they left her mouth, but it was a means to keep him at arm’s length.
His lips pressed together. “I placed the women in your wing. I suggest you go to them and take the child with you. I’ll be leaving. Diego will be here should you need anything.” He handed her the child and walked away, slamming the door behind him.
Diego whistled. “Boy, you really know how to get under his skin, don’t you?”
She snorted. “It’s not hard, he’s so damn moody.” It’s what she’d meant to do, keep the distance between them, yet it ripped at her heart. She moved up the stairs toward the rooms he’d given her during her brief stay. This place brought her comfort and for some reason felt like home, but she needed to take care. If she and Caleb were going to continue working together, she would have to harden her heart. The last thing she wanted was the dragon breaking it. Desire for him spread through her like a forest fire. Wild, untamed and burning hot.
I am so screwed.
“Lileta, what are we going to do about the women and their pregnancies? I don’t have to tell you what happens when a dragon procreates with a human.”
“I’m well aware.” She could still hear Veronica’s screams of pain. Dragon babes clawed their way out. These females were not able to bear them like a normal child. She shifted Ebros to the other hip. “Do you think it would be possible to do a cesarean?”
“I don’t know. I’m not sure the child could endure the human sedatives.” He extended his arms. “Here, let me take him.”
She smiled and handed the baby over to him as they approached the women who sat in the library. Their eyes were still glazed over. She moved next to the one named Sarah, but the woman was unresponsive.
“What has he done to them?” Diego asked.
She looked over her shoulder. “He laces wine with his blood and makes them drink it.”
“Son of a bitch. I wondered how he made them conceive.”
She stroked Sarah’s blond hair. “What do you mean?”
He took a seat in a rocking chair near the window, the child curled up in his lap. “A female can only get pregnant if she ingests our blood after sex. Semen alone won’t do it. This allows us to choose when to have children.”
Her brows shot up. “And he continues to give them the blood to keep them sedated and under his control.” She looked around the room. “Does Caleb keep any wine on hand?”
Diego rocked. “Actually, he has quite an extensive wine cellar. Why?”
“From what I’ve seen, the blood wine is like a narcotic. Without it, these women may have withdrawals. I think it might be best if we wean them off it.”
“I’m guessing you want me to be the donor?”
“Would you mind?” She chewed her lip, he didn’t have any reason to want to assist them.
“I will do whatever needs to be done to help them survive. The babies need the blood as well. We continue feeding our mate our blood to aid the infant’s growth.”
Lileta realized there were so many things she didn’t know about the Draki, but she wanted to learn. “How do your females give birth?”
“It takes the magic of both mother and father to flash the infant from the womb. Should something happen to the female’s power…” Diego looked at the sleeping child in his arms. “The baby will claw his way out. A Draki will survive, but it is most painful and she will never bear children again.”
Lileta shuddered. Why couldn’t they just have kids like everyone else? Sometimes being immortal had its downside. She stood and went in search of the wine cellar.
An hour later, she’d filled three glasses with wine, bled Diego then tucked the women and the baby into bed. Everyone was sleeping while she and the young Draki sat back in relaxation for the first time that day.
“Why did the ghoul bring them here? Did she say?” Lileta asked.
“No, only said Odage told her Caleb would take care of it.”
She twisted her hair up into a scrunchie. “I wouldn’t doubt Odage has your goddess.”
He dropped his head into his palms. “Oh, everything is so fucked up.” He lifted his head to look at her. “Caleb is going to need you in order to get through this.”
She wrinkled her nose. “He needs no one.”
“No, you don’t understand, he trusted his leader and now feels like he has let us all down. It’s Tegan all over again.”
“Tegan?”
He nodded. “Our older brother who was killed.”
“Oh yes, tell me what happened.” She curled her feet under her on the couch, eager to hear more about Caleb.
“Well, it was during Drayos’s reign of terror. Caleb and Tegan were doing recon and somehow were captured. We’re still not really sure how the bastard did it. His magic was pretty strong. Anyway, they killed Tegan while Caleb watched.”
Lileta covered her mouth to stifle a gasp.
“The scar that he carries…”
She shook her head. “The one down his chest?”
“Yes. They cut him open then made him drink Drayos’s blood, just enough to make him too sick to heal.” His jaw dropped. “Wait a fucking minute. He drank demon blood, you know what that means?”
She held her hand up. “Don’t get so freaking excited. Kothars are in no way related to Drayos and his minions, very different demons. Besides, even if that were the case, we hate each other. He has already said he’s going to seek a way to reverse this mating with the gods so he can have someone else.”
“Oh, I’m sorry.”
“Why are you sorry? I could give a rat’s ass.” She voiced her opinion gruffer than intended. “I’m going to check on the women.”
She couldn’t leave the room fast enough. The information Diego imparted almost undid her. She had to stop halfway and collect her thoughts. Did this really explain how she and Caleb had become connected? Possible, even though her people were not related to Drayos. The idea that she could possibly have the sexy dragon caused moisture to settle between her thighs.
“Oh what am I thinking?” She moved down the hall toward the bedroom. “I don’t really want him, and he certainly doesn’t want me.” That, he made abundantly clear earlier. They both were simply following instinct. The gods had messed with their destiny, causing their souls to recognize each other as mates. Hopefully, Caleb would find a way to break the bond and they could go on with their lives. Otherwise, things were going to get difficult. She had no idea how long they would be able to hold out before claiming each other, thus killing the dragon.
* * * *
Caleb sent a few trusted men on assignment to look for Odage. Something was up if he was dumping his women and the child off on him. He hated to believe it but suspected he was somehow behind the goddess’s disappearance. In the meantime, he waited in the shadows for his victim to surface. His own recon work had led him back to Egypt, to the home of one Richard Sanchez. The man responsible for selling Lileta to Odage.
A Mercedes pulled into the driveway of the opulent mansion, and a man with sandy blond hair stepped out. Caleb looked at the photo in his hand, it matched the person crossing the sidewalk. His fingers twitched when Sanchez entered through a side door. It was time.
He slipped around the back of the house and flared out his senses. The home was empty except for his victim who was now moving up the stairs to the second floor.
Perfect.
Caleb flashed to the kitchen. He took in the polished granite counters covered in a fine white powder. When he stepped closer, his keen sense of smell caught a whiff of cocaine. Somehow, he wasn’t surprised. Slave runners were also known for being drug dealers.
He crept toward the same stairs Sanchez had ascended. Taking two at a time, he reached the top without even a speck of dust being lifted. His enhanced hearing told him the man he sought was in the shower.
He headed into the master suite. Steam rolled out of the open bathroom door. He would wait for his prey and take the opportunity to snoop. He rifled through drawers and found the usual items any man would keep. His gaze lifted to the mirrored doors across the room. Moving in stealth mode, he made his way across the thick burgundy carpet to the closet, grabbed the handle and pulled. Nothing except for Armani suits lined the expanse in front of him. Of course, one could make a fortune selling sex and drugs.
His temper flared at the thought of this man forcing himself on his mate.
He’d gut the bastard.
“Who are you?”
Caleb turned to find Sanchez wrapped in a towel with a pistol pointed in his direction.
“Your worst fucking nightmare,” he snarled.
The other man gave a callous laugh. “Really? Seems to me I have the upper hand since I’m pointing the gun at your head.”
Caleb’s lip curled. “Take your best shot, motherfucker.” He stormed across the room. Shots fired, the bullets ripping into his flesh, a couple lodging into bone. He flinched through the sting, but the one that landed between his eyes pissed him off even more. Sanchez stared, wide eyed, and backed into the wall.
“What the hell are you?”
Caleb grabbed the man’s throat and lifted him off the ground, the gun dropping to the carpet. “I thought we already established what I was. Now, you will answer my questions. Truthfully.” He bared his upper and lower fangs and partially shifted, giving the human a glimpse of his dragon. “I will sense if you are lying.”
Sanchez whimpered, and the sound of running water caught Caleb’s ear. He looked down to find the man had pissed on his boot.
Son of a bitch.
“W-what do you want to know?”
“The slave Lileta, did you fuck her?”
The human shook. “I-I don’t know who you’re talking about.”
He pushed his face closer until they were nose to nose. “I told you not to lie.” His grip tightened.
Sanchez’s face reddened. “Are you going to kill me?”
Caleb tilted his head and gazed into the human’s eyes. “No, not if you tell me the truth.” He released enough pressure so the man’s feet touched the floor but still kept a grip around his neck. “Now start talking.”
Sanchez swallowed. “Yes. I-I drugged her then had sex with her.”
Caleb’s vision went red. He fought to keep the dragon back who wanted to rip the man to shreds for touching his mate. “Does she know? Was she awake enough to understand what you were doing to her?”
“No. She didn’t seem to remember. I sold her at auction two days later.” The man slumped, his body racked with sobs. “I swear, I’ve told you everything.”
“There is one more thing before I release you. Who did you purchase the slave from?” His lungs burned, and he was covered in blood from the bullet wounds, but he needed this last piece of information before he headed home to heal.
“A man named John Smith. I met him at Roxie’s. That’s all I know, I swear. I have no way to contact him. The meeting was arranged by a man named Havier. His number is in my phone. I can get it for you.”