Heart of the Dragon Read online

  She pulled back and I cupped her face in my hands. She swallowed hard, staring at my lips, "Kelvin," Her voice was airy.

  I couldn't resist her. I needed her to feel what I was feeling. I leaned down and began to kiss her. This was different, though. I wanted her to know this was different. This wasn't hot fueled by lust. This was hot filled with passion, love. This was my heart speaking to her heart through one kiss.

  I broke the kiss and rested my forehead against hers. Her face still in my hands. I struggled to control by breathing. "I love you. Please, Kiana, believe me," I begged.

  She closed her eyes and whispered, "I do." I took her hands and walked to her apartment. I guided her to the couch and she sat. Once I was sure she was comfortable, I took a seat on the opposite end and she sighed. "You haven't changed your mind," she stated flatly.

  I shook my head, "For the moment, no, I haven't."

  She looked away from me and stared at the wall, "I'm not enough."

  "Kiana, look at me," I demanded, reminding myself to keep calm. "My problem is you're too much."

  Her eyes snapped wide, "What?"

  "Kiana, how can you not know how important you are to me?"

  She shrugged, "You've been sending a lot of mixed signals lately."

  I nodded, rubbing the back of my neck, "I know and I don't mean to." I bit my lip and forced out an aggressive breath. "I'm not who you think I am. I have secrets. I already have put your life at great risk. I should walk out of your life completely, but I'm selfish."

  She crawled toward me, "Nothing would keep me away from you." I laughed and she cupped my face in her small hands, "Kelvin, you can trust me with anything."

  I covered her hands with mine, "I promise it's not that I don't trust you."

  "Give us a chance then." I moved her hands but didn't let them go as I shook my head. "We let everything fall where it will, no regrets."

  I forced out another breath, "Just promise me something."

  "Anything, Kelvin."

  "When I end things, you run far away." She gaped at me and tears formed in her eyes.

  "Kelvin..."

  "No Kiana, promise me."

  She exhaled, "I promise."

  I kissed her again. I wanted to savor everything I had with her. I wanted to treasure every ticking second because, in the end, when this fell down around me, she'd be gone for good. I needed her nowhere near me when this all crumpled. At least that way I could ensure her safety.

  I had promised him, but I had no intention of running away. He thought whatever secrets he was carrying would scare me, but he was Kelvin and I could never be scared of him. As his lips moved against mine, I crawled into his lap.

  I gave him everything I had. I wanted him to know he had my heart, my soul, my everything. Kelvin Solis was my life and I knew I was his life. "Kiana," he muttered softly against my lips. The growl in his voice igniting something deep inside of me.

  "Kelvin, fuck me, please. Right here." My breath ragged as I spoke.

  He shook his head. "Not here." He stood, taking me with him and we began to walk to my bedroom where he left me naked just hours ago. "I'm not going to fuck you." My heart fell into my stomach. "I've never just fucked you." He brushed his nose against my neck. "I'm going to make love to you." My heart raced at his words as I was once again tonight laid out beneath him.

  I saw the rapid rise and fall of his chest as he stared down at me. I saw the familiar hunger. I saw the lust, but for the first time ever since we started sleeping together, I saw the love. It was undeniable to me now and I wondered if I had just missed it before because I was just caught up in the act of sex with him.

  "Kelvin..." I squeaked out.

  "God, Kiana. God, you're beautiful." He stripped out of his clothes first this time and I began to follow his lead, but I paused when he muttered a curse, searching through the pockets of his jeans.

  "What's wrong?" I asked and he kneeled on the bed, staring at me in a way that had me more than ready.

  He shrugged embarrassed, "No condom."

  I exhaled, "Kelvin, I started taking the pill four months ago." He laughed and shook his head. "Kelvin, please. Make love to me."

  He exhaled with a growl and a curse before his hooded gaze latched onto me. I slowly stripped off my clothes and tossed them to the floor. His breathing sped up and he took me into his arms.

  His fingers slowly ran over my body. He cherished me. He worshiped me. My heart hammered in my chest as he entered me for the first time with nothing between us. I whimpered.

  "I'm not going to last," he breathed on my neck. His warm breath only forcing my heart to hammer faster.

  "Kelvin..." I managed as he slowly moved inside of me. "Kelvin, harder." He shook his head and his hair tickled my skin. I wasn't going to last. His painstakingly slow pace had me on edge. I needed to come, but he was dragging it out. It was the most delicious form of torture.

  She was resting her head against my chest. I was barely breathing. My hand absently stroked her back and her fingers played with my small patch of chest hair. "I didn't like that you went out with someone else tonight," I confessed.

  "I knew you wouldn't. You hurt me. I needed to drown it out."

  I exhaled, "I never meant to hurt you." I licked my bottom lip, "I wish I could tell you everything."

  "You can," she stressed.

  "No, Kiana, I can't."

  "Why not?" she choked out.

  "The short answer? You're just too important to me to risk anything."

  "I'm not scared of you, Kelvin. Your secrets won't chase me away." I wish that was true. I wanted more than anything for that to be true.

  "I wish that were true," I sadly admitted.

  She sighed but didn't say anything. From the floor, where my jeans had been discarded, my phone started ringing. I muttered a curse and turned my head so I could give her a kiss. "Be right back."

  She frowned, "It's that important?"

  I chuckled, "Likely not, but he'll keep calling."

  Her laugh filled the room as I slipped my jeans on. "That means it's most likely important."

  I shook my head, "Everything is important to him, even when it's not."

  I slipped out of the bedroom as my phone started ringing again. I answered it, closing myself out on the small porch. "Sniper, this better be a damn emergency."

  "See your panties are still in a twist."

  "Not fucking funny. Now, what the hell is up?"

  "Vanlith knows."

  Knows what? "What the fuck does he know?"

  "The location of the Kindra." I cursed, trying to keep my temper under control. I looked back into the dark apartment, a small glow still coming from her bedroom.

  "I do too," I said flatly.

  "Fucking hell, dude! Tank, tonight could've been bad." I remained silent. I already knew how bad tonight could've been. Lennon had her and he had let her get away. "Tank, did you fucking hear me?"

  "Yes, asshole!" I hissed.

  "We need to move. Maniac is about to lose his shit. Our cover could be blown to hell," he rambled.

  "No, Sniper. We can't yet."

  "Why the fuck wait. You have the Kindra. That's the bargaining chip."

  "You fucking listen to me real good. Kiana is not a God damn bargaining chip."

  "No, but the Kindra is." In my world, they were the exact same.

  "I said fucking no!" I panted, trying to calm myself down. "Look, tomorrow, we use the tunnels and scope out what Lennon thinks he knows. Maniac can go on the inside and try to get information since he's fully Dragon."

  "Look, Tank, it doesn't matter if we're Bearded Dragons. It doesn't matter that Maniac is full Dragon. If Lennon tells Jaco about her, it's over."

  I closed my eyes. "Not yet," I pleaded.

  "This time, I'll trust you." He hung up and I stared into the apartment for a long while. I had to slow this down. Slow it all down. I couldn't take the next step now. The brakes were being pressed down hard, but I was still goin
g too fast. I was going to cause a head-on collision.

  The pulse of Ledrya and the Dragon population belonged to the Kindra. The world was divided in two when Shevorth betrayed Kemoth. The fallout forever divided full Dragon from their Bearded Dragon counter-parts.

  A path of trust was created to build back the bridge that had been burned by Shevorth when she made love to Raziel. Kemoth sentenced Raziel to death, despite the pleas of Shevorth. After the hanging, Kemoth demanded the Kindra charm he had entrusted to her, but it was gone.

  Without the Kindra, the Bearded Dragon population would never die out. They'd continue to grow into a powerful Dragon force that could challenge the power of the Volcanic Dragons.

  Kemoth was furious that she had challenged his power. It weakened his position in Ledrya and he banished Shevorth to the Ylelz Domain. A barren wasteland with no hope of survival.

  Shevorth survived long enough to ensure the Kindra would always be protected. On the back of a Redwood Bearded Dragon, a baby was brought back to Ledrya. The Kindra protected inside her heart.

  Only an heir of Kemoth and the child's true love would be able to know the secret she carried within her. Raziel's heir would protect her. It was his mission. Kemoth's heir would seek to destroy her. The consequences were grave if that was allowed to happen.

  Shevorth spent her remaining days in the Ylelz Domain, knowing she had done all she could to restore the balance she had corrupted.

  I was getting worried with each passing minute. Clearly, the call was more important than he had thought or let on. When I could no longer stand the quiet, I went in search of him. He was sitting on my couch in the complete darkness. I swallowed and he glanced up at me briefly. There was a beer in his hand and he took a long drink.

  "Something wrong?"

  "There is a lot of shit wrong, Kiana," he growled and I took a step back. He nodded at me and then took a long drink from his beer.

  "Kelvin...” I started slowly walking his way again.

  "Stop," he ordered and my footsteps stuttered before stopping completely. My eyes widened as I gazed at him.

  His face went into his hands as his elbows rested on his knees. "Kelvin..." I began again.

  "We can't be together." His words were almost inaudible.

  "One phone call and everything that just happened gets tossed aside?" I snapped, hoping the anger would cover up my heartbreak.

  He shook his head, "I don't want things this way. God, Kiana, I want to be able to be everything to you, but it isn't going to happen."

  "Why the fuck not?"

  "Because you are more important than my happiness."

  I walked to him and this time, he didn't stop me. I put my arm around his waist and rested my head on his shoulder. "You're more important than my happiness," I echoed.

  He sighed, "We need to take a step back. For now. Maybe forever, but I hope not."

  I nodded, "One step forward, two steps back." He lightly laughed at my words.

  "Life sucks." I laughed at his words. Whatever was happening, whatever Kelvin thought he was protecting me from, was big enough for him to sacrifice his heart, so I needed to return the favor. For now, I needed to sacrifice my heart too. For him, I could. Kelvin Solis was worth it and more.

  When Kemoth was betrayed, he slipped into the cycle of revenge. He was hell-bent on it, but his issue was hiding it from those he needed to hide from. The normals living in Ledrya were scared of him. Knowing this, he charged Jaco Syrreth his second in command as Ledrya’s leader. Forcing Lennon his heir to fill the role of second to Jaco.

  Syrreth had always been quiet, but he was smart as hell. He planned and he never let his anger take control of him so much that it showed. Kemoth was grateful for the calming presence he provided. Lennon stood at his side now and that was what they needed. Any hope of finding the Kindra rested in the hands of his son.

  Jaco's job was to maintain a false pretense. They needed trust or the final plan would never get off the ground. The Kindra was the key to their ultimate power, but if the normals were to rise up against them, then it would be all over. Jaco continued that trust, making sure the Bearded Dragons stayed close by in the military operations. They were providing their full support and they were a valuable resource.

  Not being fully grown Dragons, their smaller Lizard form made them excellent spies and Jaco entrusted a small handful to the most critical missions in hopes they would locate the Kindra. They hadn't yet, and with Kemoth's death four months prior, Jaco's position was cemented. He began to lose some of his grip and his control was slowly slipping away from him, but he knew that in order to continue his powerful rise in Ledrya, he couldn't lose it like Kemoth had done. He saw a lot of Kemoth in his heir, Lennon, and Jaco reminded him daily what was at stake. However, Lennon was starting to push back. Starting to defy him. Since his father's death, Lennon was pushing for his rightful control. Jaco assured him that could only happen once the Kindra was in their hands, but once they had it, Jaco planned to destroy the remaining member of the Vanlith clan and claim Ledrya for himself.

  I hated putting the brakes on things, but I was left with no choice. "Why don't you go to bed?"

  She raised her eyebrows at me and I laughed. "You aren't coming to bed, are you?" The serious tone stopped my laughing.

  I exhaled, "I need to make a couple calls and then likely I'll crash on the couch."

  She nodded and stood. After taking three steps toward the bedroom, she stopped and looked back at me. "We're never going to be a couple, are we?"

  I closed my eyes, "Never say never."

  "Do you love me?" I had told her I did, but I couldn't blame the doubt.

  "Kiana, I do love you. I'll always love you. That will never change." She nodded but said nothing else. I heard her sniff and all I wanted to do was hold her. I wanted to take her heartache away. I wanted to take away my heartache.

  I scrubbed my face with my hands. I learned about the Kindra when I was ten. I learned about who would know. One month later, I met Kiana. That was when my entire world changed. My dad was part of the active spy team hoping to discover the location of the Kindra. I understood that when they found it, it would be destroyed. I held the information I had close. I was always looking over my shoulder. Always making sure no one knew what I knew. Kiana was the Kindra. She was my soulmate.

  I called Sniper and Maniac, the conference call was important because I would only be able to say this once. "Yo," they both answered.

  "I assume you already might know this, but here's your confirmation. Kiana is the Kindra. I plan on dying before I let anything happen to her. I call the shots.”

  "I figured this," Sniper answered. Maniac was the wild card because he was a Dragon already.

  "Maniac?"

  "Man, this is big. We could stop..." I growled, stopping his words.

  "No. I need your word that your mouth is fucking shut on this. Kiana isn't a damn bargaining chip."

  "But..."

  "Maniac, don't. Tank needs us," Sniper stepped in.

  "Yeah. Okay. Fucking sealed," Maniac relented.

  "Okay," I exhaled, "tomorrow?"

  "Yeah," they both agreed, and just like that, we were done. I stared at her bedroom door partly closed. I was going to hold her. If it was for the last time, so be it.

  I felt the bed shift. I felt his arm wrap around me pulling me to his chest. I sighed, "Goodnight."

  "Sweet dreams," he said, kissing my temple.

  "They will be now," I muttered softly.

  I felt him expel a breath. "We have to go backward."

  "I know." I didn't like it. I didn't understand it. The only thing I knew was that I couldn't lose Kelvin. He had been my rock, my savior, my everything from the time I was nine. I wanted to cross that line. We had blurred it and for about an hour tonight, we had leaped across it.

  I had never known Kelvin to fear anything, but something clearly had him worried. I didn't know what it was, but I was determined to find out. Whatever challen
ges were ahead, I could handle them with Kelvin by my side and I wanted him to realize that we were stronger together.

  He was snoring lightly and I chuckled quietly, snuggling against him. As my eyes closed and I drifted off to sleep, his arm flexed around me again. I smiled one last smile before sleep claimed me.

  I carefully climbed out of the bed. Having her wake up was not an option. She was sleeping so peacefully and I knew if she woke up she'd question where I was going. I couldn't just leave, though. She needed to get far away from me so I left her a note, packed her up, left a map. I'd know where she was. I'd know she was safe. This was something I had in my back pocket for a long time.

  I made Kiana promise she'd run away when we ended, but I knew she wouldn't without a push. "I'm sorry, Kiana," I whispered as I watched her sleep. Once I felt I had lingered too long, I escaped out of the apartment.

  My phone started ringing the second I got in my jeep. "Kelvin."

  "Hi dad," I sighed.

  "Son, I need you on a mission."

  I swallowed hard. My father was the head of my unit. We were the best spies in our league. Jaco trusted my dad with some of the most important missions, and in return, my father tasked or partnered with me on all of them. If he knew what I knew, he would turn me over, so I kept my head down and pretended like I was all in.

  "What's the mission?" I asked.

  "Syrreth has learned that Lennon knows where the Kindra is, but he's not giving it up. I need you to go to Lennon's chambers and see if he gives it up to his closest confidants."

  "Yes, sir," I answered matter-of-factly.

  Vanlith might think he knew, but she'd be long gone before he ever got the chance to move in on her. I hung up with my dad and backed out of my space.

  Waking up to find he was gone didn’t really surprise me. What did, however, was the fact that my suitcase had been packed. What the hell was this? There was a map along with a nicely folded note on top of my belongings and I carefully sat on the edge of the bed and read.