War's Passion (Sons of War) (4 page)

Chapter
Seven

In dragon
form, Markus touched down at the base of the mountain, several yards from Serenity Cove. He and his brothers owned the secluded patch of land and had it warded so humans couldn’t see them land or take off in dragon form. Even though many of the elders of the village knew what they were, the tourist trade that provided the small town with most of its income didn’t. Markus preferred it that way. They weren’t circus freaks and didn’t want to take the chance of humans treating them as such.

Markus
folded his wings as he focused on his human form and shifted, conjuring clothes to cover his body at the same time. The Sons of War weren’t gods, but immortal warrior dragons-shifters who possessed their own magic, which rivaled the power of the gods.

A
moment later Ty landed and shifted to his human form and rolled his shoulders as they walked toward the center of the small fishing village. “This better be good. I haven’t had a decent workout in years.”

Markus couldn’t agree more.
Their father’s desire to fight burned in their veins. Unlike Ares, Markus kept a tight lid on the part of him that longed to create wars and conflict.

Letting out a low growl, Markus said,
“If the descendants are showing their abilities and, in this case, their wings in public, then we’ll get the fight we long for.”

The demi-gods
, who’d inherited feather-like wings from their divine ancestors, were often called angels by the humans who saw them. Markus could understand the confusion. After all, myths of winged creatures and beings with godly powers were only fairytales they told their children.

They
’d rounded the corner to the docks when Markus stopped and placed a hand on Ty’s chest, halting his brother. Markus nodded his head and Ty smiled at what he saw. “Well, isn’t he pretty?”

The male had
long, white feather-like wings he wasn’t even trying to hide. Markus searched their surroundings and inhaled. The only scents he picked up on were the salt from the ocean, the fish from the boats, various foods from the area restaurants, and the descendent. The power rolling off the male told him he was one Garrick’s minions. Imperials, they called themselves, as though they were above all laws. Markus suspected that this Imperial wasn’t alone.

Ty growled low so only Markus
could hear. “I smell a trap.”

“Yep.
It wouldn’t be fun any other way.”

Ty chucked. “Well
, let’s get this party started.”

They
advanced on the male. When they got within a couple of feet, the descendant smiled and took off toward town center. Markus and Ty gave chase and the townspeople darted out of their way. Many of the residents of Serenity Cove knew about the “dragons in the castle.” Most viewed Markus and his brothers as guardians of sort—a rumor Markus happily allowed to flourish. It was easier to live with humans who didn’t fear them.

They chase
d the demi-god to the edge of town. The male turned toward them and thrust an energy bolt at Ty. The bolt struck him in the chest, knocking him back several feet. Ty landed on his back and slid until he hit the side of a building.

Briefly stunned
, Ty surged to his feet, shook off the effects, and let out a roar that shook the buildings around them. Then he ran toward the descendant and shifted into his red and gold dragon about halfway to the male. The man paled as he stretched out his wings and took to the air.

Not
missing a beat, Ty swooped up to follow. Cursing, Markus shifted and joined his brother. The last thing he needed was for Ty to kill the demi-god before they got some answers.

The little bastard
’s fast
, Ty said in thought.

Markus’s reply was a grunt as he jerked upward to avoid power lines the winged asshat flew under. Markus was a millisecond from telling Ty to
light the demi-god’s ass on fire when the descendent finally landed on the stretch of beach between the estate and Gwen and Elle’s lighthouse.

As soon as he and Ty landed and shifted to their human forms, three more descendants materialized.

Garrick must have found a way to unlock their powers.
Markus growled, keeping the conversation with his brother telepathic.

And you’re surprised by that?

Ignoring Ty’s sarcasm, Markus charged the two closest to him while Ty followed suit. Animal instincts gave him and his brothers the advantage of better vision, hearing, and speed. It was yet another thing the gods feared. The Sons of War were faster and stronger, even without the magic they inherited from their father.

Markus
punched the first descendant, a blond male, before the man could register the movement. Then Markus swung his leg out, catching another male in the back of the legs. The second male screamed and fell to his knees in the sand.

Searing pain exploded across Markus’s
back, knocking him to the ground. Rage filled his veins and he twisted around to see the blond male charging at him. Markus flung his arm back just as the descendant reached him, grabbed the male by the arm and jerked him forward. The male flipped over Markus and landed hard on his back. Fisting his hand, Markus swung and hit the bastard in the jaw. He heard a crack as his knuckles made contact. The male’s head whipped to the side, out cold.

Pushing to
his feet, Markus scanned the beach for more descendants. His gaze landed on a photo half buried in the sand. Picking it up, his heart skipped several beats. Rage burned within him, fueling the dragon’s protectiveness over the female in the picture.

Gwen.

They were here to find her.

Markus whirled around and almost ran into Ty. With a growl, Markus thrust the photo into Ty’s hand. “We need to move the females to
the estate. Now.” Shifting, he took to the air and flew toward the lighthouse and Gwen, knowing Ty would call Drake and Seth in to do clean up.

****

Gwen placed her wine glass on the table and considered opening the black lockbox that contained her father’s research documents and notes. Hovering her hand over the container, she wondered what had her so hesitant to go through the contents. It wasn’t like she was violating his privacy, yet she felt she doing just that. He’d want her to know the truth about the Sons of War and her life, wouldn’t he?

Of course.
Gods, she was being silly and a chicken.

A
knock sounded on the front door as she lifted the lid. It was barely four o’clock in the afternoon, and she wasn’t expecting anyone—though it could be Markus. Reaching out, she closed the box and locked it before heading to the door. When she got there, she hesitated. A cold chill skated up her spine and made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end.

A peek through the peephole revealed a man she didn’t know.
Sliding the chain into place, she opened the door and spoke through the small crack. “Yes?”

The stranger
smiled. “Hello. Are you Miss Preston?”

Warning
bells rang inside her head while her gut tightened with fear. “No. I’m afraid not.” Closing the door, she whirled around to see Elle step off the staircase.

Gwen placed her finger over her mouth and indicated to the back door
. They started to move just as the front windows shattered, spraying glass all over the living room. Gwen ran, only to be jerked back by her hair and tossed to the ground. A large man towered over her and kicked her in the side. Pain exploded in her ribs and shot down her body, making her cry out.

The man leaned down
to grab a handful her hair and pulled her to her feet with a tug on her already aching scalp. He yanked her into him and she could feel his arousal against her stomach through their clothes. Bile rose in her throat and she took shallow breaths to keep from being sick.

When h
is lips touched her cheek, she lost the ability to reason. Jerking her knee up, hard, she slammed it into him in the balls. The man cried out and let go of her. Gwen took that opportunity to kick him again, this time in the back as he curled in a fetal position on the floor.

Elle screamed,
and Gwen saw her sister fly across the room and hit the wall. Fury raged inside Gwen and she charged the man who dared hurt her. Gwen hit him in the gut and they fell to the floor. Sitting on his chest, she managed to get a few good punches in before she was flipped on her back. The man straddled her, grinned, and raised his fist. Closing her eyes, she braced for the impact. A loud boom sounded close by. Then the man was gone.

Gwen opened her eyes and saw the monster from her dreams. A huge black dragon stood in the center of her living room.
Terror overtook her. Her breathing turned into short gasps as a panic attack took hold like a vise around her lungs. Desperate to protect her sister, she raced backwards on her hands and knees until she reached Elle and pulled her into a hug.

“So sorry
,” she said into Elle’s hair. The panic and fear erupted into uncontrollable tears as she rocked back and forth with Elle.

A warm hand touched her arm
, she screamed, and backed further into the corner with Elle. Markus appeared in her line of sight. She blinked and hoped her vision wasn’t playing tricks on her.

“Gwen. You’re safe now.”

She shook her head. “Dragon.”

Markus held out his hand, but didn’t touch her. “It was me.”

“It was the black dragon. The one that—”

“It was me. My dragon is black and blue.”

Sifting through the hazy memories, she couldn’t remember the undertone of the dragon. All she saw was black and her mind instantly returned to the night when she watched her father burn to death because of the damned black dragon.

“Gwen
? You’re safe now.” Markus repeated, drawing her attention back to him. He slid his fingers around her wrist and urged her to release Elle. “Come on. I’m going to take you two back the estate. You and Elle need medical attention.”

Gwen took a shaky breath and allowed Markus to take Elle from her
arms. When he turned, she saw Zavier and Ty behind him. Markus handed Elle to Zavier, who cradled her with such gentleness that Gwen relaxed a little.

Markus lifted her from the floor and
held her to his chest. His rich, spicy scent enveloped her, erasing the terror that threatened to consume her. It was ironic how she could find such comfort in the very creature she’d run from for so long.

Chapter
Eight

Ash fisted her hands at her side as she watched the three dragons
help the women inside the black Range Rover. She’d arrived too late. The black dragon—Markus, she believed was his name—had already ripped through the lighthouse and the Imperials like they were no more than wooden toys.

Suddenly, the one who wore the sunglasses
all the time stopped with his hand hovering next to the driver’s side door handle, and jerked his head in her direction.
Shit
. Her heart dropped to her feet at the intensity of his expression.

Fleeing before he made her
, she materialized inside the small apartment she’d rented under her mother’s name. Well, her mother’s human name since she couldn’t very well use Artemis as her alias.

The dragon should
n’t have been able to sense her, or see her. Yet the way he stared in her direction, where she stood cloaked from sight by a spell, felt as if he looked right at her.
Impossible
. Not even Garrick could sense her in that state.

N
ot able to fully trust the dragon, she’d spied on him for years. Something about him didn’t sit right. Of course, Garrick was a charmer and easy on the eyes, but there was a darkness surrounding him. His obsession with his brothers only added to her suspicions.

Ash had decided to get to the bottom of the obsession and see what it was about the other five dragons that had Garrick shaking in his undies.

Her phone rang and she glanced at the screen and groaned when she saw it was Garrick.
Fucking great. What now?

“Your Imperials are weak,” she said
in greeting.

“Hello to you too
, love.”

His arrogant tone rubbed her nerves raw
and she took a deep breath to try to calm herself. “You underestimated your brothers.”

That got his attention. Ash smiled as Garrick growled through the phone. “I do not acknowledge them as kin of mine. I didn’t underestimate anyone. You did.”

“Me? I told you to send me your best. I set up a distraction. The females were alone. You’d think your demi-gods in full possession of their powers could capture them.” Ash was fuming. It was so like him to push the blame on her.

“Yes, however, the
y are five dragons and can communicate telepathically.”

“I know. I’m not stupid.”

“I never said you were.” He fell silent for a moment before asking, “What is your next move, huntress?”

“I’m working on it.”

After shutting off her phone before he could reply to her tart words, she shoved the thing into her back packet. What she needed was more information on the Sons of War and she knew just how to get it.

****

Gwen sat on the sofa and sifted through her father’s notes while Markus and his brothers discussed the attacks. There was more growling going on than talking, although she tried to block out most of their conversation. It was all so surreal—being protected by the same creatures that killed her father.

Well not
the
same dragon. Just the same species.

Lifting her gaze, she
watched Markus pace in front of the others. His larger frame stalked gracefully and powerfully back and forth across the living room floor. His short, black hair stood on ends from the multiple times he’d run his hands through it. It made him look sexier. Like he just rolled out of bed. How would it feel to run her fingers through the dark strands?

As if sensing her
attention, Markus stopped. Her cheeks warmed at his steady regard, and she returned her attention to the lockbox. A photo peeking out from under a small leather bound notebook caught her attention. Picking it up, she sucked in a breath and started to tremble.

“What is it?”
Markus knelt in front of her in an instant.

Gwen turned the picture around to show him. “This is the man who killed my father.”

Markus worked his jaw as if he were clenching his teeth together and took the photo. Removing the notebook, she found several more photos beneath it. Some of Markus and his brothers, some of her father, and one of
that man
and her father together, smiling like they were friends.

Her vision blurred.
Half-blinded by anger and grief, she passed the photo to Markus. “My father knew him. I don’t understand. Is that you brother?”

Markus studied the picture, brows drawn together. “Yes. That man with your father is Garrick.”

“Why would my father be with him, smiling like they were BFFs?” A tremor passed through her, leaving her cold and confused. Why would her father get involved with someone like Garrick? She wouldn’t believe it,
couldn’t
believe it.

Markus
laid the picture down, gripped her hands, and held them. “Garrick is very convincing. It is possible your father didn’t know who or what he was when this picture was taken.”

None of this made sense to her. “The night my parents were killed, there were three men, Garrick being one of them. They were searching the house for something. Do you know what they were looking for? Why he kill
ed my parents?”

Markus squeezed her hands gently and too
k a deep breath. “Garrick is building an army of descendants and plans to wage war against the gods.”

Her heart sank. “My father would had never got involved with anything like that.”

Zavier spoke next from the chair next to her. “Tom must have found out and turned on Garrick. It’s could be why Garrick killed him.”

Gwe
n agreed with Zavier’s logic. There was no way her father would associate with someone like Garrick if he knew his true purpose. Yet, she couldn’t dismiss the evidence inside the box on her lap—the notes about the gods, the descendants, Garrick and the other Sons of War. It pointed to the possibility that her father worked with or under Garrick’s command at one time.

The feel of the box being lifted out of her lap brought her out of the disturbing thoughts. She met Markus’s
midnight blue eyes as he closed the lockbox and set it on the sofa next to her. Then he stood, taking her hand and pulling her to her feet. “Where are we going?”

“For a walk.”

Images of the hot-as-hell kiss the night before flashed in her mind. Her pulse kicked up and she started to pull away from Markus when he leaned in and whispered in her ear. “I’ll behave.”

Pressing her lips together to keep from smiling, she
studied him for a moment, then shook her head. “I’ll hold you to that.”

A low
chuckle served as his answer. He led her from the living room, then out the large kitchen to a door that opened to the side yard. The cool, salty, night air hit her. Overhead stars glittered against the sky like diamonds on a black canvas. “It’s a beautiful night.”

“Yes. Are you cold?”

Gwen shook her head. Her heart stilled for a brief moment as they stopped a foot away from the edge. It was too dark for her to see where she was going. Fear at the lack of control sparked a small panic attack. She took deep breaths to try to calm herself, but it was no use. Damn it, she should be past this. In fact, she thought she’d been coping well until those descendants showed up at her house and she saw Markus in dragon form.

The combination had thrust her into the past, left her watching
helplessly as her father burned to death. His screams still haunted her.

“Gwen.”

Markus’s cool, commanding tone brought her back to the present. He cradled her face in his hands, but she couldn’t make out his eyes in the shadows. Suddenly, specks of blue appeared and seemed to glow as they grew larger until the lighter blue drowned out the darker color before they transformed into the eyes of Markus’s dragon. Unlike the first time she saw the change, she didn’t fear it. Instead, the sight calmed her.

“Gwen,” Markus said again. This time it was huskier, almost a growl.

“I’m here. Do you always growl?”

Another lower, sexier sounding,
rumble came from him, making her shiver. “Yes. Why did you have another attack?”

Even though he spoke
softly, she heard the undercurrent of a demand in his tone. Needing some space, she stepped away from him only to have him wrap an arm around her waist and jerk her into his hard, too hot body. Surprised, she grabbed his biceps. “Hey.”

“We’re close to the edge.” He whispered in her ear, his lips brushing against her lobe and making her shiver. “Look down.”

She did and gasped. They were about a foot away from where the cliff fell away, but that wasn’t what stole her breath. The village below was lit up. The streetlights mapped out the town’s layout perfectly from this height. The docks were alive with boats coming and going.

“It’s beautiful.”

“I love to sit along the edge of the cliff and just watch. They’re good people.”

Gwen
’s heart warmed at his offer of a private thought, and an endearing confession. Trust. “I have the power of persuasion.” It wasn’t the best of confessions, but it was her only secret.

Markus stilled and she could feel his gaze on her. “Who knows of your power?”

“Just Elle and my parents. I haven’t used it since high school.”

“You have control over it
, then?”

Fear crept back within her and she stepped back. “Yes. Why do you ask?”

When he reached for her, she jerked away and lost her footing. The earth collapsed under her and she screamed as she began to fall. In the next instant, she was cradled against Markus’s chest.

Wrapping her arms around his waist, she pressed her head to
his chest, and allowed the rapid
thump
,
thump
of his heart to sooth her own racing pulse.

Markus kissed her temple. “I’m sorry. You mustn’t be afraid of me. I could never harm you
, even if I wanted to.”

What?
Wait, did he want to hurt her, or was it something else entirely? “What are you saying?”

“You’re my mate.”

The words were spoken so low, she almost missed them. Was he serious? His mate. She shook her head. “I can’t. I mean, I don’t know you.”

“
Not yet. But you can’t stop the mating once it’s begun.”

S
till shaking her head, unable to grasp what he was saying, she stared at him. She couldn’t mate a dragon. She knew nothing about him.

You could get to know him
.

The words sounded like a whisper in the breeze, startling Gwen.
Jerking her head up, she searched their dark surroundings. “Is there someone here? A woman?”

Markus shook his head. “No, why?”

“I thought I heard…oh, never mind. I’ve had too much excitement for one day and now I’m hearing things.” Needing to be alone, to think and absorb everything that had happened in the last twenty-four hours, she tried to step around him. He blocked her path. She searched his face and sighed. “I’m tired.”

Instead of responding
, he stared back at her. Even though it was a dark moonless night, her eyes had adjusted enough she could barely make out the hard lines and those full, masculine lips.

In the next instant,
his mouth pressed against hers and his tongue demanded entrance. Defeat washed over her and she found it impossible to deny him. Her body responded to him in a way it never had with anyone else, no other lover made her burn like Markus did.

And
all with a single touch.

Gwen moaned as she opened to allow his tongue
entrance. Markus snaked his arms around her waist and pressed their bodies together. Her skin felt tight and like it was on fire. She shouldn’t encourage him, shouldn’t be allowing him to kiss her, to touch her. He was a dragon, the son of Ares, and dangerous.

Yet, she wanted more of
him. No, she
craved
more. It was crazy. They just met.

Breaking
the kiss, he bent down to slide an arm under her legs and picked her up. Not expecting the sudden movement, she squeaked, then covered her mouth. His soft chuckle filled her ears before he spoke. “You are mine, Gwen. I’m not letting you go.”

She swallowed. When he started walking toward the house, she asked, “Where are you taking me?”

“To bed.”

Her belly flipped. “No. I mean…I can’t.”

He laughed. “To sleep. You’re tired and need to sleep.”

“Oh.” Now she felt embarrassed and a little disappointed. Man, she was a mess when it came to Markus.
She was also in jeopardy of losing her heart to the man, or having it broken into a billion pieces.

Yep, she was in deep.