chapter Ten
Drake seethed, watching Mace hold Krysta on Nellin’s back as they led the way across the sky. Nellin followed the kidnappers’ path, keeping his sharp dragon eyes on the telltale signs dug into the surface of the earth below.
Drake had little say in the matter when Jenet decided to speed up a bit, bringing them alongside the other dragon. They pulled even just in time to watch Mace cup one of Krysta’s spectacular breasts in his hand. Drake could have happily cut off the knight’s arm just then, had they been on the ground.
Drake had never been a jealous man, but in that moment, he was never more envious of his friend. Mace had the woman of Drake’s dreams in his arms, and Drake could do nothing but watch. And want.
When Krysta drew away, Drake silently applauded.
Drake’s mouth watered, thinking about getting Krysta alone. He hadn’t had much opportunity to woo her or touch her as he longed to do. He wanted her desperately. Like he’d never wanted another woman in his entire life.
The thought was sobering. And frightening.
“Looks like they’re getting along.” Jenet’s wry voice sounded through his mind.
Drake growled low in his throat. “We don’t have time for this. Finding Wil is our priority.”
Jenet perked her neck up, chastised. “You don’t have to remind me, you big grump. But we’ve a long way to fly first and there’s nothing you humans can do but be baggage until we find the kidnappers.”
Drake knew he was being unreasonable, but seeing Mace cuddling the woman he wanted above all others set his jaw on edge. It also—strangely—set him afire. Krysta looked…right…in Mace’s arms. Somewhere, deep inside, Drake registered that realization, even as his unaccustomed jealousy reared its ugly head.
Jenet’s smug voice intruded on his troubling thoughts. “You know, you could have her too, if you became my knight.”
“What are you talking about?” Drake felt the bottom of his stomach drop. “Are you planning on mating with Nellin?”
“Nellin is my mate, it’s true. But we’ll wait for Mace to find his own mate—and for you to come to your senses and accept me as your partner.”
“You’ve got to be kidding!”
“No, Drake. Search your heart. You hear the truth of my words. You know I was born for you. You’ve been my knight since the moment I hatched and as long as you live, I will have no other. I love you.”
Drake felt the truth of her words all the way down to his soul. He remembered the precious little creature that had busted out of a giant shell after hours of labor, and the first meeting of their eyes. He remembered talking to the baby inside the shell long before she hatched, making friends with her even before she was free to roam about the Lair with him, his constant companion. He remembered too their parents’ indulgent smiles and encouragement.
All except for Declan.
The man whose opinion mattered most in Drake’s young life had always seemed to expect more of him than he could give. Declan had demanded perfection when Drake could give only mediocrity. He’d failed time and again at the tasks Declan had set for him, meeting with grim disapproval and reminders that he’d never be good enough for Jenet if he didn’t work harder.
Declan had said those actual words only once, but Drake had taken his sire’s warning to heart. Drake loved Jenet too much to stick her with an inferior knight, and Drake knew he was inferior in every way to the star pupils like Mace.
Steady, strong, staid Mace. He never put a toe wrong and excelled at all the knightly skills. Drake had wanted to hate the boy, but had found an odd camaraderie with the quiet lad instead. They’d even parted as friends the day Drake struck off to find his own path. Mace had seen him leaving the castle and had walked a short way with him, down the road into Castleton. They’d exchanged kind words and good wishes between them and Drake had made Mace promise to keep an eye out for Jenet, which he was sure the young knight-hopeful would do without falter. He was just that dependable.
“I hate to disappoint you, sweetheart” Drake’s tone was full of frustration, “but your plan will never work. I’m still leaving Draconia as soon as this mission is over. I have responsibilities in other lands to which I’m much better suited. I learned the hard way I can never be the knight you need, Jenet. You have to give up this crazy idea.”
“I will never give up on you, Drake. You’re mine as much as I am yours. The bond between us can never be undone. It is only for you to accept and let it grow stronger.”
“I can never be what you deserve, Jenet.” The words were torn from his soul, barely whispered into her mind.
“You are already more than I’ll ever need and all that I want. It is only for you to recognize that truth and accept your destiny.”
Drake would have replied, but at that moment, the sky turned gray and a light rain started to soak through his meager city clothing. Wonderful. The weather matched his glum mood, even as his shirt soaked clear through. His leather breeches were in somewhat better shape, but they were old and starting to soak up water in places around the knees and crotch. Just great. This would be a soggy, miserable trip to match his sullen mood.
Drake spared a moment to look over at Nellin and noted that Mace—ever prepared—had pulled an oilcloth from his pack and spread it over himself and Krysta. At least they would be dry, but the knight’s preparedness just drove home to Drake how un-knightly he was himself. He’d gone off on a quest without the most basic of necessities.
All Jenet had was the leather pouch Drake had given her, filled with lotions and creams for her wings. No oilcloth. No food. Nothing that could be useful on a cross-country journey.
A knight would have prepared.
Which only went to prove, Drake of the Five Lands was no dragon’s knight.
Before it got too dark to see, Mace signaled a halt and the dragons started angling downward to find a place to weather the storm and get some sleep before they carried on the search.
Dragons could literally sniff out caves. It was part of their basic survival instincts. Even though both Jenet and Nellin had been born and raised in the safety of the Castle Lair, they’d been trained since a young age to rely on their natural abilities. Still, both dragons claimed there was not one suitable cave in the area for their human friends to spend the night.
So the three curled up on the ground at the base of a relatively dry granite cliff. The dragons arranged themselves on either side and held Mace’s tarp between them, making a little tent area for the humans, though it was small.
“I’ve got a dry shirt you can wear and some food in my pack. It’s not much, but we won’t go hungry tonight,” Mace offered quietly.
“Thanks for the loan,” Drake answered. “I just took off, not thinking about provisions—or dry clothes.”
“Don’t be so hard on yourself, Drake. You’re not trained as a knight, after all.”
Drake paused in the act of accepting the dry shirt from his friend. Mace thought he read hurt in the other man’s eyes for a moment and realized his words might’ve come out differently than intended.
“Look, Drake—”
“No. You’re right.” Drake reached out to snap up the shirt. “I’ll never live up to my father’s example. It’s why I left.” He shrugged as he tugged the shirt on. “I knew I’d never be good enough for Jenet.” There was real pain in Drake’s voice, and he wouldn’t meet Mace’s eyes. “This only proves, once again, that I was right.”
Mace was stunned. He’d always admired Drake and the easy way skills like archery and swordplay had come to him. By contrast, Mace had to work hard for every small step forward when they were boys, training and learning together. To Drake, everything had come naturally, yet he’d never lorded it over the younger or less skilled. Drake had always pushed himself harder than anyone else could have. He demanded a lot from himself. Almost too much.
But he’d had a wild side. Drake had been a prankster and often got in trouble for the mostly harmless jokes he played on his classmates. When that happened, Sir Declan came down hard on the boy he clearly thought was far too frivolous.
Mace knew that was finally why Drake had left. There were few in the Castle Lair who hadn’t seen the way Drake took every condemnation and word of correction from Declan to heart. Nobody was really surprised when Drake took off for parts unknown. But Mace had missed him. They’d been friends of a sort.
“You were always good enough. Drake, you were better than all the others in our age group, but you never saw it.”
“You’re deluded. I couldn’t put a foot right. Jenet will be better off when she finds a man who is worthy of her.”
“If you truly believe that,” Mace said at length, “you really are a fool.”
“Look—” Drake turned on him, “—I appreciate the sentiment, but I have my own life now. Away from Draconia. Away from my family. I’ve found my niche and it’s working for me.”
“But what about Jenet?”
Drake sighed. “Like I said, she needs to find a knight who is her equal. That’s not me.”
“I think you’re wrong, but we’ll let it rest for now. At least until after we eat.”
Krysta was sorting through the food in Mace’s pack, divvying up the meager rations. Distracted by her beauty, Mace let the matter go as he moved to sit beside her. She handed each of the men a portion that was noticeably larger than what she kept for herself.
The tension in the air wasn’t lost on Krysta. Drake bristled when Mace settled at her side. She feared a confrontation of some kind was next on the agenda and the men didn’t disappoint. Apparently even among knights—or near-knights—the male mind still had the same basic possessiveness.
Too bad she’d have to end such a long day by teaching these males a thing or two about women.
Krysta sighed as she set aside her meal to look at the men. Drake was frowning as he chewed mechanically and swallowed. Mace seemed oblivious to Drake’s temper—seemed being the operative word. She knew darn well he was fully aware of the response his actions had provoked in his counterpart. The dragons watched all, saying nothing.
It wasn’t long before Drake couldn’t hold his tongue any longer. “You two look cozy.”
She should have seen it coming but was still annoyed when Mace put his arm around her shoulders and drew her against his side. Drake’s eyes narrowed, and Krysta hated the way they’d put her between them, like a bone for two dogs to fight over. But this was something more than just male posturing. There were dragons involved and all the tantalizing possibilities of knighthood. Krysta wanted to see just how far they’d go in their one-upmanship and learn where she stood in the bargain.
She hadn’t become a master spy by playing her cards too early, after all.
“It’s no secret Krysta and I have a relationship.” Mace almost sounded as if he was gloating, but he was too sober a man to actually gloat. Or so she thought.
“Funny—” Drake stood and tossed a scrap of crust away into the brush, “—I thought Krysta and I had a relationship. Guess I was wrong.”
“You know full well we could both have what we want if you’d just wake up and accept what Jenet offers.” Mace’s words were tinged with surprising anger, and she saw an answering flush of emotion on Drake’s face as he spun to confront the knight.
It was time to step in. Elbowing her way free, she stood, as did Mace, to face Drake.
“What about what I want?” She had their attention now. “Did either of you ever ask me if I’d be interested in something more permanent? Did either of you give me any reason to believe you want me for me and not just because I’m a convenient woman you both happen to like?”
“I more than just like you, honey,” Drake was quick to point out.
“Spare me your rogue’s ways, Drake.” She turned her attention to the dragons. “And you two.” She marched right over to Jenet and then Nellin, facing them down as they blinked at her in surprise. “I’m pretty sure you’re trying to orchestrate this behind the scenes. I get the idea you two want to be together and the way I understand it, you can’t be until Jenet bonds with a knight and the two knights find a woman willing to put up with them both. If you ask me, that will require a miracle if these are the two men in question.” She gestured grandly, turning back to the men. “Oh, but that’s right. No one asked my opinion. Far be it from me to have any say whatsoever in what you all have planned for my future. You know what?” She paused, eyeing them all with a steely glance. “Just count me out. I’ve heard a lot about convenience here, but nothing about genuine feelings. I’ve been down that road before and I swore I would never willingly travel it again. Unless and until any of you can convince me otherwise, you’ll have to look elsewhere for a convenient woman who isn’t too picky about spending the rest of her life playing the fool for you all.”
Tears threatened, surprising the hell out of her, but she sucked them back. No way would she let them see her cry. She’d be damned if she let on how much she’d come to care for all of them, only to realize from the tone of their conversation that she meant less than nothing to any of them. She’d hoped Mace, at least, had come to feel something for her on a personal level. She’d hoped for…love.
But she’d been a fool again. Thinking back, not one word of love had been spoken to her by either of the men. And here she’d thought to guard herself only around Drake. At least she’d known enough not to take anything the glib-tongued bard said to heart. She hadn’t had any such caution with Mace, expecting the somber knight to be more honest in his feelings.
Too bad he didn’t seem to have any at all.
It shouldn’t hurt so badly, but it did.
Krysta moved a short distance away, needing space. No one followed, for which she was glad. She needed time alone to gather her composure and refocus her energies on the task at hand. All this personal garbage had to be put on hold while Wil was still out there, in need of their help.
“You could ask her to ride with you tomorrow,” Jenet suggested as Drake watched Krysta’s rigid back. “Then you could talk during the flight and bring her around.”
“But you said you couldn’t carry us both.” Drake immediately grew suspicious.
Jenet’s voice grew small. “I lied.”
Drake just stared at her for a moment, then started to chuckle. “I’ll be damned. Krysta was right. You and Nellin have been working this all behind the scenes, haven’t you?”
“It’s no crime to want to see you happy.”
Drake sighed and patted her neck. “Or to want happiness for yourself.” He looked over at the male dragon. “So Nellin is the one for you, eh? Are you sure, sweetheart?”
“Oh, yes. I’m sure.”
Drake reached up and hugged her with one arm. “I’m happy for you both, then. Nellin’s always been a superior dragon. And Mace is a good man. He’ll be a good second-father to your offspring—steady and fair.”
“He’d be a good fighting partner for you too, Drake, if you’d consent to being my knight.”
“Sweetheart.” Drake’s heart felt so heavy it might break. “I love you and it was always my fondest boyhood dream to be worthy of you, but you know my reasons. You deserve better than a man who would run off across the breadth of the land without even a change of clothes. I’d be a miserable failure as a knight. This latest fiasco only proves it.”
“You may think so, Drake.” Jenet sighed a thin stream of smoke. “But there’s more to being a knight than remembering your pack. It’s your heart that led me to choose you when we were both just children. It’s true, brave and strong. That’s what I want in the man I will fight beside and live with all his days. You don’t see it in yourself, I know, but it’s there—your nobility and courage. You’re all I’ve ever wanted, Drake.”
Something in her words wanted to sink into his mind, but he refused to consider it at the moment. Right now, he was wallowing in self-pity and anger over his own stupidity. He hadn’t felt this bad about himself since he’d left home. He should have known coming back to Draconia would bring back all that crippling self-doubt.
“That’s because I’m all you ever knew. There are many more worthy men out there, Jen. I hoped you’d have found one in the time I was gone and the fact that you waited and pined for me only makes me feel worse. I’ve been nothing but bad for you since the moment you hatched, but I can’t help loving you. Please don’t make this any harder than it already is.”
Jenet backed off, clearly hurt. “I’ll leave it for now, but I’ll never stop hoping, Drake. You don’t see yourself clearly, but I do. I see to the heart of you, and it’s you I want.”
Great, Drake thought, only two women around for miles and they’re both upset with me. So much for the fabled bard’s charm.
Sometime in the dark of the night, Krysta had snuggled against Drake. There wasn’t a lot of room between the dragons and under the tarp, and though the dragons kept the area warm, Krysta undoubtedly felt the night air’s chill, even positioned as she was between Drake and Mace. She had returned to the group silently as they prepared for sleep, giving in to the necessity of sharing body heat to stay warm as the rain continued to pour down in a steady stream.
Drake felt the soft, feminine touch on his chest under the loose shirt Mace had loaned him and came instantly awake. Krysta was still sleeping, her face nestled into the crook of his arm, her body turned to his, burrowing into his side. Drake saw the way she shivered in the chill air and drew her closer, wrapping his arms around her.
She settled into a deeper sleep, her hand trapped between them, under his shirt, her palm resting over his heart like a promise. Drake felt the rightness of having her there, in his arms, but was powerless against the drag of fatigue on his tired body. He fell back asleep, only to dream of the moment when they would finally make love.
The first rays of dawn touched the land when Drake woke again. Krysta was still in his embrace, her lithe body entwined with his. Their legs had tangled in the night so that his morning erection nestled snuggly between her thighs, resting against the place it most wanted to go. Her lips grazed his neck, raising gooseflesh where they touched as her soft breath rasped across his skin.
Drake relished the feel of her for a long, pleasurable moment before the slight motion on her other side roused him to open his eyes once more. Mace was watching them.
He read envy and a little regret in the knight’s eyes, but strangely, no trace of anger. Drake wondered at that. He thought for certain any man would be incensed to find the woman he wanted had turned to another for comfort in the dark of the night. But then, this was Mace. The quiet knight seldom reacted as others did.
Krysta stirred against him, slowly coming awake.
When her eyes popped open, confusion reigned there for only a moment before she tried to pull away. Drake wouldn’t let her. There was something he needed from her first, something he had to know.
Slowly, he lowered his lips to hers, seeking the warmth of her kiss, knowing full well Mace watched every move. She didn’t resist as his mouth claimed hers, lips and tongues tangling with the familiarity of long-lost lovers though they hadn’t yet shared more than a kiss and a snuggle.
She felt so right in his arms. Surely Mace could see the truth of it. This woman was meant for Drake and he was making the point the only way he could think of at the moment.
He turned her, settling her on the ground beneath him, his cock settling into the welcoming cradle of her thighs as she spread them easily for him, as if he was always meant to be there. Stars! He couldn’t wait to get inside her, but he’d bide his time until they were alone.
Sense overriding passion, Drake eased up, lifting his head to look down at her passion-glazed eyes.
“Good morning, sweetheart.”
Her breathing was ragged, just the way he liked it. “Good morning.”
“I’m sorry about last night. I had a long talk with Jenet and you were right about everything. The nosey little matchmakers were manipulating us all.” He moved off her, helping her rise while Mace stood and folded the tarp they’d used for cover. Drake saw the instant Krysta realized Mace had witnessed their kiss as color flooded her cheeks.
The dragons stood, going off in search of water and perhaps something to nibble on while the humans readied themselves for the journey ahead. Drake felt them leave, but didn’t spare a glance for anyone but Krysta.
“Let’s just forget it, Drake.”
He bowed his head, never taking his eyes from her. “As you wish.”
“There’s a little left for breakfast,” Mace said, moving to place his pack between them. He straightened and yanked Krysta into his arms, planting an almost bruising kiss on her parted lips. Drake half expected her to floor him, but instead, she responded, sinking into the knight’s kiss with what looked like genuine abandon.
Dammit. Drake felt a little of what Mace must’ve been feeling a few minutes ago. Regret that this woman would choose another, envy at the way she was kissing Mace, but Drake also felt the anger he’d expected. It wasn’t anger directed at her for choosing Mace, but rather anger at himself, that he couldn’t be a part of their pleasure. Now that was odd.
Drake squatted by the pack and busied himself with the rations Mace had brought. There wasn’t much left, but it would do until they could find a town or time to hunt. He concentrated on that problem rather than the unsettling thoughts watching Mace kiss Krysta had stirred up.
He heard them break apart and couldn’t help but look up, disappointed to see the same dazed look on Krysta’s lovely face. She responded to Mace in much the same way she’d responded to Drake, though he knew she’d have decked anybody else who dared to kiss her without invitation. She wasn’t easy. Far from it.
Drake expected Mace to be wearing a smug grin, but as usual, the knight confounded him. Mace looked…vindicated was the only word that sprung to mind. As if he’d just proved a point of some kind, and Drake was half-afraid he knew just what point Mace had wanted to prove. Nellin and Jenet wanted to be together. Mace was bonded to Nellin and would therefore have to accept the man Jenet chose as her knight to share a wife with. Mace seemed to want to prove the point that not only would Krysta be compatible with both of them, but that Drake would be a good choice as Jenet’s fighting partner for that reason.
Drake knew it was all too neat and tidy. For one thing, he’d make a terrible knight. For another, the Mother of All only knew if Krysta wanted to be shared between two knights. She seemed to like both of them well enough, but on a permanent basis? Who knew?
Drake shook his head and set to eating his meager breakfast as Mace did the same. He could feel Krysta watching them both, but he didn’t have any answers for her, so he kept his eyes on his food and his thoughts to himself.
Krysta couldn’t believe it. The two idiots were posturing over her again. Pawing her in the early morning, to prove something to each other. Damn them!
And she’d fallen in with their plans, meekly accepting their kisses and even enjoying them. Had her brains taken a holiday? What was she thinking?
Obviously she wasn’t thinking, or she would’ve kneed them both in the balls and have done with it. She wasn’t any man’s plaything. Sure, she’d already bedded Mace, so he’d probably expected a kiss, but that…assault…he’d just made on her person was far from a good morning peck. And Drake—well, she didn’t know where the ballsy bard got the notion he could kiss her like his last breath depended on it, but being honest with herself, she admitted she’d enjoyed every last minute of it. The man knew how to kiss. As did Mace. Dammit.
It was annoying to find they’d only been kissing her to prove some kind of manly point to each other. She grabbed her ration of food and ate breakfast quickly, saying not a word.
She mounted Nellin with Mace, still not speaking to anyone, but over the hours of flight, her anger mellowed. After a while, she found she could actually laugh at their theatrics. They were such men. Competing over the silliest things. This morning it had been her. She shrugged inwardly. She had to forgive them. After all, they were only living up to their nature.
She wasn’t quite sure when it had happened, but Krysta came to the startling revelation that she was well and truly in love with Mace. Drake too, though she hadn’t let him close enough to seal their growing attraction with lovemaking yet. It was a romantic kind of love, but it was also the kind of love that endured long after the heat of passion burned to an ember.
She respected them both, admired their courage, their skills, the different way they approached life. The two men complemented each other so well, yet they went about things in completely different ways. Mace was a planner, Drake a seat-of-the-pants improviser. Yet they both were incredibly effective in whatever they set out to do. This journey had only raised them both in her estimation.
They could easily have become rivals—even enemies—but the way they worked together and complemented each other’s skills was something rare and remarkable. The way they both set about wooing her also made her chuckle. Mace was deliberate and yet surprisingly spontaneous, able to plan on the fly and roll with the punches. He’d surprised her by inviting her on the spur of the moment flight and she’d challenged him, she knew, by making love to him so soon.
But she couldn’t have waited. She’d wanted him too much. She still did, as a matter of fact. Oddly, she found the same want within her when Drake smiled in that charming way at her. She wanted Drake too, and respected him just as much. He’d proven an able warrior and a man of deep integrity, contrary to all her expectations and experiences with rogues. Oh, he had a rogue’s reputation and way with the ladies, to be sure, but Krysta knew deep down, the reputation wasn’t earned. Drake wasn’t a cad. He’d never lied to her or played her false. True, they’d known each other only a short time, but she recognized the light in his soul and the fire in his being. He was a good man. As good as Mace, in his own way.
They were well matched and if the dragons had their way, they’d be fighting partners one day, sharing a mate between them. Somehow Krysta thought Jenet wouldn’t give up until Drake was her knight. Which left Krysta with only one startling thought—did she really want to be the woman for them both?
In order to keep Mace in her life, Krysta would eventually have to accept Jenet’s knight as well. Right now, Drake was the less encumbered of the two men, but Krysta suspected he wouldn’t be for long. Jenet was as cunning as any woman, and Krysta had deep respect for the dragon who had waited on the stubborn bard for so many years.
So if she chose Drake, in order to keep him, sooner or later, Mace would come into the relationship again. She really had no choice. It was either both of them or neither. The question remained, did she believe herself up to sharing her life with two knights…and two dragons?
Krysta wasn’t sure, and for the first time in her life, she agonized over her future. She didn’t want to give up Mace or Drake, but how could she commit to such a strange relationship? Worse, would they even ask her? Neither man had spoken of love. So far, it seemed, only her heart was on the line. Krysta prayed to the Mother of All she wouldn’t be the one to walk away from this with a heartbreak she doubted would ever mend.