Dragon Eternal, page 10
He didn’t know much more than he had before he’d come to her home. Normally, that wouldn’t bother him, but since his entire objective in Stonemore was to gain information, he needed to get more than what he had—which wasn’t much.
Shaw turned his head on the pillow and looked at her. The sheet was down near her waist, giving him a view of her beautiful back. One of her legs was outside the covers. She was well and truly sated.
But his hunger for her had yet to be slaked.
He closed his eyes and listened to the sounds of the house. It was quiet. No one was up. The only sound he heard was a small animal out back. The noise of the lower levels of Stonemore could still be heard, but it was weak enough that it could be ignored.
Shaw lifted his lids and focused his gaze back out the window to the stars. One of the reasons he had wanted to come to Zora was to be able to fly whenever and wherever he wanted. Now, however, he was once more prevented from turning to his true self. It was only while he was in Stonemore, though. He could handle his need to fly until he left.
His thoughts turned to Merrill. He wondered how his friend was getting on. Shaw opened the link and called Merrill’s name.
“How are the upper levels of Stonemore?”
Shaw smiled. “Verra nice, actually. The breeze keeps the stench from the lower tiers away.”
“And the woman?”
“Sleeping, if you must know.”
“That isna what I meant.”
Shaw sighed. “She’s no’ outright refused to tell me anything, but she hasna been an open book, either.”
“I doubt either of you have had much time to talk. I saw that look in your eye earlier this morn.”
“What did you find out?”
“That no’ everyone in the city is as gung-ho about the religion, the priests, or the killing of children as others.”
“Impressive. Who is your source?”
Merrill chuckled. “A sergeant. His station is the upper levels.”
“So, he sees a lot.”
“Aye. Like the woman you’re with.”
Shaw didn’t like the implication. “Meaning?”
“He wasna the only one watching Nia. He knew her name, and by the way everyone around us looked at her, they did, too.”
“She’s well known. What’s wrong with that?”
“I can no’ put my finger on it, brother. Just a feeling that something isna right.”
“I’ve felt that way since we got here.”
Merrill sighed loudly. “I’ve no’ sensed anything watching us. No’ how Cullen described it. No shimmering out of the corner of my eyes. You?”
“Nothing.” Then again, he hadn’t been looking for it. Perhaps his time with Nia hadn’t been the wisest. He wasn’t getting information, and he wasn’t paying attention as he should.
“You’re getting to see how the uppers live. That is information we have no’ had before. Any chance you get to see inside the citadel?”
“I’ll try. Can you find out if a woman can control her own money?”
“Aye. What’s going on?”
Shaw crossed his ankles. “Maybe nothing, but Nia told me that she doesna have access to her money. She also alluded to the fact that she could lose her estate at any time.”
“That should be easy enough to find out. I’ve seen several female shop owners, so I doona think they couldna control their funds.”
“That’s what I was thinking. A woman runs the pub I’m renting a room in. She doesna seem the type to allow anyone but herself to manage her money.”
Merrill grunted. “Which means there is more than Nia is telling you.”
“The first night we met, she told me that everyone had secrets. I’m keeping a big one. So are you. Who am I to push for her to reveal hers?”
“I doubt her secrets have anything to do with us. Besides Tomar, the soldier, I’m flirting with a woman and playing a card game with a group of men. Everyone is friendly enough, but no one wants to talk about the Divine, the religion, or how children with magic are being murdered.”
Shaw knew he should be out there with Merrill, but he also knew that Nia would have different knowledge than the people Merrill was dealing with. “I doona have to remind you to be careful.”
“The worst these people could do would be to send the soldier priests after us. I’d almost like to see that.”
They shared a chuckle. “For a city to claim they’re the greatest ever, they have no defenses against anyone with magic. They doona even know if anyone with magic enters. It would be easy for those with magic to take Stonemore.”
“Then why have they no’?”
“Fear has kept them running, but that fear willna always be there. They will fight back, and my money is on sooner rather than later.”
The thought of Nia getting caught in the middle of a war made a knot of worry form in Shaw’s gut. “I’ll find out more tomorrow. Con, Brandr, and Eurwen are going to want an update.”
“I’ll pass on the information to the others. Press her, brother. She has answers that could get us back to Cairnkeep quickly.”
“I will.”
Shaw severed the link and clasped his hands behind his head. His lust had steered him to Nia. There was no reason he couldn’t continue to slake his need, but when dawn broke, he would start asking questions.
Now would be a perfect time for him to investigate the house, or at the very least, the top floor, which was Nia’s. Shaw had never liked lying, and he didn’t like sneaking around, either. Then again, someone or something had attacked and killed dragons. It didn’t matter if he knew the dragons or not, they were kin. And that was all that mattered.
Shaw sat and softly swung his legs over the side of the bed. The frame creaked slightly when his weight shifted and he stood, but Nia didn’t stir. He walked to her wardrobe and used his magic to quiet any creaking hinges as he opened the doors. After rifling through the clothing and putting everything back exactly as it had been, he shut the doors. He hadn’t expected to find anything in the wardrobe, but he was disappointed, nonetheless.
Nia’s minimalist decorating style made it easy for him to know where to look. It also made his job harder since there were few places for things to be hidden. His lips flattened when he saw the only other place to look in the chamber was the small table beside the bed and its narrow drawer.
Once more Shaw used his magic to silence any sound so as not to wake Nia. When he looked in the drawer, he found it empty. He shut it and rose, more annoyed than ever. Maybe there wasn’t anything to find on the estate.
He faced the closed door of the bedroom and made his way to it. His enhanced hearing told him that the servants were still abed. He wrapped his fingers around the knob and turned at the same time he used his magic. The door swung open soundlessly. He slipped through and pulled it to him without closing it fully.
Shaw strode to the door that led to her office. Just like her bedchamber, the office area had minimal furniture. Besides the desk, there were two decorative tables, each holding a vase of roses. There was the chair behind the desk, and another filling an empty corner. Several rugs in various sizes and colors gave an eclectic look to the room that fit with the rest of the house while also setting this room apart. Nia’s bedchamber was comfortable and soothing. This room was vibrant and energetic.
The desk was neat and orderly, just like everything else in the house. He sank into the chair and looked about the desk, trying to put himself in Nia’s shoes. She favored her right hand, which meant that the more important things would be on that side.
The desk had two drawers on either one. The top ones were only a few inches deep. The bottom ones were significantly deeper. He went through each one, careful to put things back into place. And, once again, he came up empty-handed.
He was about to give up when he recalled the certainty with which Nia had said that everyone had secrets. She wasn’t foolish enough to keep anything around that would connect her to a secret. At least, he didn’t think she would. Then again, he didn’t know her.
He knew her body. But that was different.
Just as she didn’t know him.
He’d been fine with that before. Now, he wondered why she hadn’t pushed to know more about him. He needed to be prepared because he intended to get answers, and she would likely ask the same ones that he posed.
Shaw rose to his feet, but he didn’t leave. Something held him here. He frowned as his gaze slowly moved around the spacious room. He stopped at the desk again and surveyed it closely as he walked all around it.
He squatted and leaned on one hand to look underneath the desk. If she had a hiding nook, this was likely where it would be. Close enough that she could get to it, but not invading her room, which was the place she relaxed.
It took him looking twice before he saw it. His lips flattened as he stared at the hidden panel. A part of him wanted to walk away, to forget what he had found, but he couldn’t. He drew in a steadying breath, then reached up with his free hand and began pressing on the wood until it slid open.
Slowly, he withdrew a rolled piece of paper from the slot and then lowered his butt to the floor. He held the note for several moments just staring at it. An uneasy feeling spread through him as he unrolled it. Then, he began to read.
* * *
My dearest Nia,
* * *
I know I said that you had a month off, but something has come up. Something, I daresay, that will interest you. two Dragon Kings are in Stonemore. Merrill and Shaw. There is no mistaking them. They aren’t dressed as one of us. Search them out. Pick one—your choice. Use all your skills to seduce him until he is in love with you.
Then, bring him to me.
If you succeed, I’ll grant your greatest desire: your freedom.
* * *
D
* * *
Shaw didn’t need to ask who D was. Obviously, it was the Divine. The bastard knew he and Merrill were there, but how? He immediately called Merrill’s name through the link.
“What’s wrong?” Merrill asked.
“He knows we’re here.”
“Who?”
“The Divine,” Shaw spat. “I’m reading a letter he sent Nia, telling her we were in the city and instructing her to find us. He know our bloody names! Told her to pick one of us and seduce us and make sure we fall in love with her. She’s supposed to bring one of us in to exchange for her freedom.”
“Fuck me,” Merrill said, shock coloring his words.
Anger filled Shaw. He was being used. But, just as quickly, his ire dissipated. Because he was using Nia, too.
“What are you going to do?” Merrill asked.
“I doona know.”
“Well, now you have your answer about the estate and money. It sounds as if the Divine owns Nia.”
“Find out who she is. I need to know everything, and she willna tell me.”
“I’m on it. You may no’ want to hear this, but now that we have this knowledge, you can use it to your advantage.”
Shaw closed his eyes and let out a sigh. “My thoughts exactly. Nia knows the Divine. And the wanker knows about us. We need that information.”
“You focus on that. I’ll pass on this information to Con and the others. Every King needs to know they’ll be discovered if they enter.”
“But that doesna make sense. If the Divine knows when anyone with magic enters the city, then he would know which children have magic.”
“Maybe he does,” Merrill said. “Maybe he keeps tabs on the families to make sure they report the children.”
“That doesna explain Tamlyn. She’s a Banshee and entered the city numerous times to save the children about to be killed. If they knew about her, then they—”
“Would’ve stopped her,” Merrill said over him.
Shaw shook his head as he opened his eyes. “Stonemore is built on a no-tolerance rule of magic. If the Divine has this kind of knowledge, then he would enforce it.”
“You’re missing one important part.”
“What’s that?”
“It also means that either he has magic or is using someone who does.”
“Bloody hell.”
Merrill blew out a breath. “I couldna have said it better.”
Chapter Fifteen
“Well?”
Daelya winced at the grating voice of Amsden, the Divine’s steward. She hated being yanked out of observing someone else’s magic. She also hated that she had turned the two Dragon Kings into the Divine. If she’d had any choice, she would’ve kept the information to herself.
“Now!”
It took everything she had not to spin around at the steward yelling in her ear and spit in his face. Her days of doing whatever she wanted were long gone. She was a prisoner now, a slave to be commanded by none other than the Divine. Too bad she couldn’t do magic herself, because she wanted nothing more than to unleash all her hatred and anger on those responsible for her current predicament.
“I’m not going to tell you again.”
Her head turned to look the steward in the eyes as he walked to stand in front of her. If she thought the soldiers would kill her for acting out, she would do it in a heartbeat. Death would be better than this. Instead, the brutes took it out on a young boy who looked no older than twelve.
“The Dragon King is still with her,” Daelya replied.
Amsden looked behind her. They forbade her from turning to look at the Divine. Daelya had dared a side-glance when they’d brought her in, but the Divine sat in shadows, revealing nothing. That was fine with Daelya. She got to look out over Stonemore, which she would rather see than the face of the bastard holding her captive.
“Did the dragon do magic?” Amsden demanded.
Daelya turned to look back at the city, her gaze lowering to the roses that indicated Nia’s house. “He did.”
“Don’t make me keep asking questions. Spit it out.”
“He searched her house.”
There was a pause as the steward looked at the Divine once more. Then, he asked, “Did the dragon find anything?”
“No.” Daelya hadn’t intended to lie. The word simply fell from her lips before she had time to think about it. But once she’d said it, she was glad she had.
Amsden moved closer to her, lowering his face to hers, his nostrils flaring as he glared at her as if she were shite on the bottom of his shoe. “Are you lying? We’ll find out if you are, and the repercussions for the boy will be severe.”
Oh, yes. When she got free—because she would escape one day—she would find a way to unleash her vengeance on everyone in the citadel. Most especially this buffoon of a steward. “I learned my lesson. I won’t lie again.”
Two lies in succession. Daelya needed to be careful. She had been captured and bought for the sole purpose of locating magic in Stonemore. Who was to say they didn’t have someone who could tell when another was lying?
After a moment, the steward moved back and looked over her head. She allowed her gaze to shift beyond him to the bodies that glowed with a whitish light. It was what she had always seen when she looked at those with magic. There were dozens of people with magic in Stonemore. Most were children or babies who had yet to come into their gifts. Some were attempting to hide them. How long until the Divine made her seek the children out?
Daeyla’s stomach roiled violently. She wouldn’t be able to do that. She wouldn’t do that. It was one thing to point out a Dragon King. She knew to respect such powerful creatures, but she also knew the Kings could take care of themselves. Whatever the Divine had in store for the Kings wouldn’t be enough to hold them.
Her blood ran cold suddenly. The Divine despised magic and anyone who had it, yet they had bought her. The Divine had found a way to bring Daeyla to her knees and command her. She had dismissed leaders like him before, but she had underestimated him. Her entire tribe had paid the price with their lives.
And she was a slave, doing the bidding of the very person she had once laughed about. The irony wasn’t lost on her.
Cruel fingers grabbed her upper arm and squeezed. “Continue,” Amsden ordered.
Daelya drew in a breath and slowly released it. She bit her tongue so hard she drew blood. She closed her eyes and shifted her focus to the other Dragon King.
Waking up with a man in her bed wasn’t unusual. But it was the first time Nia actually wanted someone there. She sighed as Shaw pressed his body against her back. His hand drew her to him so that she laid her head on his arm.
“Hmm. This is nice,” she murmured.
He pressed soft kisses to her neck. “Aye, it is.”
She turned to face him. For the first time, she didn’t have to fake a smile. She was genuinely excited to see Shaw. So happy, in fact, that she leaned forward and kissed him.
“Keep that up and we willna leave this bed,” he said in a husky timbre.
“That’s fine with me.”
He gave her a flat look. “It isna. You’re sore.”
“Maybe a little.” When he quirked a brow, she rolled her eyes. “Fine. I’m sore. You’re a very thorough lover.”
His crooked grin made her heart miss a beat. “I aim to please.”
Her stomach rumbled. She chuckled. “Apparently, I’m also hungry.”
“Never say I got between anyone and a meal.”
Nia was disappointed when Shaw rose and began to dress. She had thought he would attempt to keep her in bed. The difference in her feelings toward him compared to the others she had seduced were like night and day. Even though she knew his magic caused the feelings, she couldn’t stop thinking about it.
With the others, she had counted down the hours until her job was finished. Not that all of them were horrid, but few of them were people she wanted to spend time with. If they had come to the Divine’s attention, then they were generally individuals who had done something, knew something, or knew someone the Divine wanted information about. From her experience, few in leadership roles were decent people. Most became enamored with the power they received. The same could be said for the wealthy. Those with money always believed they were better than those without. When, in reality, it was simply a matter of Fate what family you were born into.
