Surrendering to the Dragon (Stonefire British Dragons Book 7) (16 page)

More than that, it had changed his life forever.

He pushed on. “But I’m getting ahead of myself. Noah’s team was closer to the vehicle and the dragon since their target had been the farmhouse. One of the men from Noah’s unit ran and jumped onto the vehicle. A second later, a grenade went off and the vehicle exploded. The distraction gave the injured dragon time enough to hop further away and make her way into the air again.

“Trained as we were, I would give our fallen comrade his or her full dues once we completed our objective. Leading my team into the farmhouse, we managed to capture the three remaining men inside. The dragons took care of the other armored vehicle, and Noah’s team took over the farmhouse. I was so busy securing our prisoners, it was almost twenty minutes before I had a chance to find out about the casualties.”

While a bad feeling had sat in Rafe’s gut since the explosion, he’d held the hope that his best friend hadn’t fallen.

Nikki squeezed his hand. “The man who took out the armored vehicle was Noah.”

Between Nikki’s comforting presence at his side and the knowledge it was only him and her in the room, he allowed tears to form in his eyes. His voice was gravelly when he answered, “Yes.”

“Oh, Rafe. I know words can’t bring him back, but I’m so sorry.”

She cupped his cheek and he leaned into her touch. “The bloody fool had been noble and honorable to the end. According to his team, he’d sacrificed his life by carrying live grenades and jumping in the vehicle, all to save the dragon-shifter. Not just because he believed the dragon was as much part of his team as those actually under him, but he knew how precious dragons could be. He’d been dating the blue female dragon in secret and had been halfway in love with her.” He looked away. “And the bastard had never told me. What was worse, the female dragon-shifter had been pregnant with his child.”

“Wow. What happened to them?”

Meeting Nikki’s gaze again, he shook his head. “I don’t know. Not wanting to tarnish his reputation or risk his posthumous medal, no one ever reported Noah’s connection to the dragon-shifter, let alone the existence of their child. Because of her injuries, the dragon, Gwendolen, was sent back home to Clan Snowridge. I have no idea what she told her clan, but she never returned to the army.”

Once his hatred had cleared enough to remind him of his promise, Rafe had spent months trying to find something out about Gwen.
 

It still sat heavy on his soul that he couldn’t fulfill his promise to his best friend.

Nikki’s voice interrupted his thoughts. “Did you ever get the chance to see Noah’s child?”

Rafe shook his head. “Even now, Snowridge is still closed to humans, apart from the sacrifices. I haven’t been able to find out anything. To this day, I haven’t been able to live up to the promise to look after Noah’s family if anything happened to him.”

Determination flashed in Nikki’s eyes. “As soon as we have the chance, I can ask Kai. His mother, stepfather, and half-sister live on Snowridge. They might know something.”

Rafe hadn’t known about Kai’s family. “I didn’t think clan members changed clans, at least, until recently with Lochguard.”

Nikki shrugged. “Sometimes, in the case of true mates, it happens. Other times, a dragon needs a place to stay en route to somewhere else. Or, if they’re badly injured, we look after them. Kai’s mother found her true mate with a Snowridge dragon. Since Kai was from her first mating and a teenager, he decided to stay here, but his mother went to Wales.”

He loved the fact Nikki told him about her clan without hesitation. She must trust him. “As much as I hate to be in Kai’s debt, it will be worth it to finally find Noah’s child and ensure he or she is safe and well-cared for. We had always promised each other to look out for one another’s families and loved ones. I’ve failed him so far.” She nodded, and he squeezed her fingers. “But I have a little more to tell you.”

Moving a few inches closer, Nikki murmured, “Then tell me.”

Staring at Nikki’s rumpled hair, sharp gaze, and beautiful face, he wondered how he ever could have dismissed her as nothing more than a young woman with a fancy. “Everything with Noah happened a few weeks before you arrived. You replaced Gwendolen on the dragon-shifters’ team. And as much as I can now understand why Noah would give up his life to protect his woman and child, at the time, I blamed Gwen for Noah’s death. If they hadn’t been involved, would he have sacrificed himself? Or, would he have settled for something less surefire, such as a diversion?

“So, when you approached me, I let the anger and sadness I’d bottled up out on you.” Leaning down, he rested his forehead against hers. “If you had done the same before Noah’s death, I probably wouldn’t have gone out with you, but I wouldn’t have been the mean bastard I was. The fact you’ve given me another chance despite all that means the world to me.”

Nikki searched his eyes before finally replying, “Now that you’ve told me what happened, both my mind and heart can truly forgive you. I lost a trusted mentor and fellow Protector last year. I understand what it’s like to grieve silently while trying to display a strong face to the world.”

At her forgiveness, happiness flooded his body. He was a step closer to winning Nikola Gray, he was sure of it. Once he had her, then he would find a way for them to stay together.
 

Provided she wanted a family, of course. Rafe wasn’t sure what he’d do if he had to choose between Nikki and his child.

But all that was in the future. In the present, he needed to focus on the dragonwoman next to him.

Cupping her cheek with his free hand, he gently kissed her and said, “Is that what your nightmare was about? The death of your fellow Protector?”

Chapter Thirteen

Nikki blew out a breath. “Are you sure you want to talk about that? It’s not a happy story.”

Moving his hand to thread his fingers through her hair, Rafe tugged lightly. “I don’t care if it’s happy or not. As long as it helps settle your mind and gives you a better chance at a happier life, then I will gladly listen to whatever you need to get off your chest, Nikki.” She opened her mouth to protest, but he cut her off. “And you do need to get it off your chest. Don’t try to deny it. Whatever was haunting your dreams sits heavily on your shoulders.”

Her dragon chimed in.
He is right.

You keep saying that.

I don’t want to since I like to be the one who is right. However, I need his help to sort out your stubborn arse.

“Does your dragon side with you or me?” Rafe asked.

She shot him a glance. “How do you know what we’re talking about?”

“Call it a lucky guess.” She narrowed her eyes and he chuckled. “Okay, whenever it comes to something you don’t want to do or talk about, your pupils start flashing. My hunch is that you two argue a lot.”

Her dragon preened.
He is clever. And is usually on my side. I want to keep him.

Ignoring her beast, she muttered, “You’re too bloody perceptive.”

“Of course. It’s my job to be perceptive.” He lowered his voice. “It just means you’re going to have to work harder to fool me.”

Rolling her eyes, she sighed. “Maybe I was wrong before. Your arrogance alone is like a dragon-shifter’s.”

“It’s not arrogance when it’s fact.”

Nikki battled a smile but gave in. “Too bad you can’t fly, or you could challenge Marcus King of Clan Skyhunter. Maybe then the southern English dragons would join forces with Lochguard and us.”

Releasing her hair, he lightly brushed her shoulder, her waist, her hip. “How about you stop trying to change the subject and tell me what’s bothering you? That’s more interesting to me right now than devising a plan on how to take over a dragon clan.”

His intense gaze made her draw in a breath.

Her beast spoke up.
Talk to him and then we can jump him.

What are you talking about?

You want sex. But he won’t give it to us until you tell him.

Unlike you, I can restrain myself.

Her dragon snorted.
Right. Then tell me why there’s wetness between our legs, and an ache waiting to be filled.

Tired of her beast’s too-observant nature, Nikki tossed her dragon into a mental prison.

Meeting Rafe’s eyes, she half-expected to see impatience. But there was curiosity and a calmness she wished she had in the present.

Squeezing her hip, Rafe murmured, “I’m going to wait until you’re ready, but you’re not going to sleep again until I have the truth.”

“I could kick you out into the cold and then go to sleep.”

He grinned. “Then I’d just find a way back in. I already have several options ready to use.”

“Stubborn bastard that you are, you’d just keep coming back, wouldn’t you?”

“Come on, Nikki. You know me well enough to answer that for yourself. Quit stalling. I held up my end of the deal. Now it’s your turn.”

The reminder about Rafe's eyes prickling with tears when he'd bared his soul made Nikki feel about two inches tall for trying to weasel her way out of telling him about her time with the dragon hunters.

If he could talk about one of the most painful times of his life, she could, too.

After taking a deep breath, the words spilled from her lips. “A little over a year ago, Bram and Evie’s adopted son, Murray, was kidnapped by the dragon hunters, who were then based in Carlisle. Since Evie was one of the hunters’ targets, she was moved to a secure location and another female Protector named Charlie, along with myself, were assigned as her guards. You might have heard of some of the general details before.” Rafe nodded, and she continued, “Well, quite simply, Charlie and I fucked up. Bram said the area was secure and rather than double-check to ensure it was, we just accepted it. It was how the dragon hunters were able to catch us by surprise.”

Nikki had still been training at the time, but she should’ve spoken up about taking a second look around for threats to Bram or Charlie. Maybe if she had, Charlie might still be alive.

But she wasn’t going down that road again. If she didn’t get the entire episode out now, she might never do so.

Finding her voice, she continued, “The hunters drugged us with something that knocked Charlie and me unconscious for a while and prevented us from shifting for two or three days; I lost track of time. At any rate, being the younger Protector with an injured shoulder, the hunters decided I would be easier to interrogate. As for Charlie...”

Nikki swallowed as the roars of pain reverberated in her ears. Even locked in a room far away from the laboratory, the dragon cries had reached her sensitive ears. And she’d been powerless to help her friend.

“Nikki.” Meeting Rafe’s gaze again, he said, “You don’t have to live the memory alone. Share it with me. Please?”

“You saying please makes me nervous.”

He grinned. “I’ll remember that.” His smile faded and he searched her eyes. “Whatever you say stays between us.”

She knew Rafe was telling the truth, although it didn’t make things easier. After keeping the whole ordeal bottled up for a year, it was hard to expose her raw vulnerabilities again.

Yet as Rafe stroked her side, she believed he wouldn’t think less of her regardless of what she told him. “They’d slated Charlie for blood draining. Once she could shift again, they kept her locked up in a cage and hooked up to draining tubes at all her main arteries. Right before they switched on the machine to pump out the blood, they took me to her. The man told me I could stop it all if I merely told him how to infiltrate Stonefire undetected.

“Charlie was awake. She met my eyes, and I could read the message there—protect the clan, always and forever. It’s the motto of the Protectors, and even with her impending death, Charlie held to it fast until the end.” Nikki briefly closed her eyes but forced them open again. She needed to get it all out before cowardice prevented her from sharing it all. “I told the man to fuck off and he nodded. His lackey turned on the machine. As it whirred, blood slowly made its way down the tube. I stared right into Charlie’s eyes, telling her how much I wanted to help. I swear she nodded in approval of me, keeping silent. Then the guard took me away to an interrogation room. Charlie was brave, but eventually, the pain was too much, and she roared in desperation.

“If that weren’t traumatic enough, they tied me to a chair and punched my injured shoulder a few times. When I still wouldn’t give up the information, another man brought out some of his torture instruments. I tried as hard as I could, but the electrocution was too much, and my screams joined Charlie’s dying ones. I don’t know how long the cycle of electrocution and punching my shoulder went on. To be honest, I’m surprised it healed at all. I eventually passed out from the pain and only came to when a team from Stonefire rescued me.”

She’d looked away while recounting the events. Nikki could keep her gaze averted, but hadn’t come this far just to be a coward. Looking at Rafe, she sucked in the breath at the anger there. His voice was controlled when he asked, “Are the bastards who hurt you and Charlie still alive? Because if they are, I will find a way to hunt them down and make them pay for their crimes.”

Smiling wryly, Nikki shook her head. “I have no idea. They weren’t amongst those captured in the rescue attempt, but with all the other attacks over the past year, they might’ve died in them.”

“I sort of hope they are alive. Anyone who hurts my woman will have to deal with me.”

She should leave it be, but Nikki wanted clarification. “Your woman?”

Tilting his head, he answered, “Should I say my dragonwoman?”

“Rafe, your future is uncertain and—”

“Forget about the laws and all the excuses for once.” He leaned in closer. “With just you and me in this room, would you like to call me your man?”

“Man is such a human term.” Rafe growled and she smiled. “But one more question first.”

“What?” he barked.

“My, my, someone’s temper is coming out to play.” At the intensity of his gaze, Nikki pushed aside her desire to tease and answered, “Given everything that happened with the dragon hunters, how do you know I won’t freeze up if we encounter them in Ireland?”