Pia Saves the Day

  The lower level held a giant recreation room with TVs, a pool table, and a wet bar that any New York restaurant would be proud to own. Also included below were an extensive wine cellar and a long-term larder, and security specialists had installed a panic room known only to Dragos, Pia, the sentinels, and Pia’s bodyguards.

  Sometimes Pia felt like she needed a GPS just to get around the place. Still, she reminded herself, the house was in no way as huge or complex as Cuelebre Tower in New York, and despite the construction, in some ways it already felt more intimate. She could see glimpses of the beautiful home it was becoming, filled with her favorite colors and hand-picked pieces of furniture, and she loved the personal spaces they had created for themselves and for Liam.

  When she entered Liam’s bedroom, he didn’t even stir as she kissed his forehead lightly and eased him into his crib. As always when he slept, he had turned into a little furnace, and she was grateful to get some fresh air against her skin after she put him down.

  She turned on his baby monitor and went into their suite to shower and change into a knee-length, lime green and yellow summer dress, along with flat sandals. Her new haircut and pretty outfit made her happy, and she hummed underneath her breath as she stroked on some eye shadow and lip gloss.

  A knock sounded on the suite door. When she called out an invitation, Eva opened the door and sauntered in. The other woman’s dark brown skin and bold features were accentuated by a saucy red, bustier-style top and jeans, and while she was armed—she always went armed—she looked as relaxed as Pia had ever seen her.

  “Just wanted to know what was up for the rest of the day,” Eva said. “You want to go out again?”

  She shook her head. “Nope, we’re going to stay in toni—”

  As she spoke, another low boom like thunder rolled through the air.

  A lightning bolt of pain struck her in the head. Her vision whited out. Dimly, she felt the container of lip gloss slide from lax fingers as she staggered and fell in an ungainly sprawl. More pain flared as she struck her knee against the corner of a nearby dresser.

  Almost immediately, her vision cleared and the pain in her head eased, leaving behind a sense of dread so strong, it came in a wave of nausea.

  Swearing, Eva dropped to her knees beside Pia and gathered her up in strong arms. “What the righteous fuck—Pia, talk to me. What’s the matter?”

  After the wave of dread came panic.

  Pia had experienced that kind of panic before. It was the kind you felt when you were staring at the end of your life.

  And she knew. She knew.

  Shoving Eva away, she scrambled to her feet. “Something’s wrong.” Her voice shook. It was something bad. Killing bad. “Something happened to Dragos. Watch Liam. Don’t leave him.”

  Almost as quickly, Eva sprang upright too. As she switched to bodyguard mode, her expression changed and became deadly.

  She made the mistake of taking hold of Pia’s arm. “Stay here until we can find out what happened. You can’t go running into an unknown situation. It could be dangerous.”

  The panic rode Pia harder than any devil could have, and she rounded on Eva with a wild animal’s ferocity. “Oh, can’t I? You fucking watch me. Stay here and guard my son.”

  Eva’s eyes widened. Her grip loosened, and she fell back a step.

  Pia had nothing more to say. She had used up her words, all but one. The wild animal that had taken over her body whirled and sprinted down the hall. She flew down the stairs, burst out of the house and raced down the path to the construction site. She had never run so fast in her life.

  As fast as she ran, it wasn’t fast enough to stop what had happened to her mate, and the only word she had left inside of her was his name.

  Dragos.

  Chapter Two

  Bursting out of the tree line, she reached the construction site bordering the lake.

  The scene looked strange and wrong. It took her a few heartbeats to realize why.

  The dimensions of the clearing had changed. A section of bedrock had collapsed, and at the pile of rubble at the base of a bluff, people swirled in a melee of urgency, the yellow of their hard hats bobbing through a growing haze of dust.

  Others stared, their expressions aghast. She grabbed the nearest worker by the front of his shirt. “Where is he?”

  He didn’t ask whom she meant. Wordlessly, he pointed at the rubble.

  Letting go of him, she raced toward the group who were digging frantically at the pile of rubble and shifting the heavier rocks. Leaping over obstacles, she landed beside the man shouting directions at the rest of the crew. He caught sight of her and fell silent, abruptly, and the expression in his gaze carried the same weight of horror as everyone else on the scene.

  “Tell me he’s not here,” she said between her teeth.

  Snatching off his hard hat, he shoved it onto her head. “He’s here, along with the shift foreman and another man.”

  She had already known it, but still, the stark words struck her like a punch to the stomach. Blindly, she turned toward the rubble and started to dig like the others, bare-handed in case a vulnerable body lay close underneath the surface.

  He had to be okay. He had to. Even in his human form, he was unbelievably strong.

  Last year, when they had been in a car wreck—before they had really mated—he had pushed out with his Power to keep the car from crushing them. He could bend metal with his bare hands. He…

  He had always said he’d seen the car wreck coming, and he’d been able to brace himself. What if he hadn’t seen this coming?

  She only became aware she was sobbing under her breath when strong, dark hands came down on her shoulders.

  “Hugh’s watching Liam,” Eva said in her ear. “I couldn’t leave you to come out here on your own.”

  She glanced over her shoulder, took in Eva’s sober, compassionate expression and her snarl died in her throat. Blinking rapidly, she nodded.

  Eva glanced down at Pia’s hands, which were scraped and bleeding. “I’ll find you some gloves.”

  Not bothering to answer, Pia turned back to the rubble and started digging again.

  “I found Jake!” a man shouted, to her left.

  Instantly the focus of attention shifted, and several men converged together to quickly dig out the unmoving man. At some point EMTs had arrived. Pia saw uniformed paramedics racing to the spot carrying a stretcher and medical bags.

  As they lifted the man’s limp body onto the stretcher, she looked away. Maybe she should care that they had found someone alive, but she didn’t. Maybe she could care later. All she cared about right now was that they hadn’t found Dragos yet.

  He couldn’t be dead. Just the thought of it made her world stop, and she had to struggle to breathe.

  Come on, she said telepathically. Where are you? Come on!

  The pile of rubble exploded.

  Dragos’s mountainous dragon form appeared in front of her, his iridescent bronze hide dulled in a coating of dust. The sheer size of his body knocked aside rocks, equipment and men alike.

  Something hit her in the chest, and she tumbled backward. Ignoring the hail of debris that fell on her, she climbed to her feet, joy and relief bringing tears to her eyes.

  Oh, thank God, she told him. I’ve been so scared….

  The bronze dragon’s immense, triangular head swept from side to side as glaring gold eyes took in the surrounding scene.

  As he did so, hot, wet droplets of moisture splattered her in the face and chest.

  It was blood. Her gaze focused on a jagged gash that ran along the dragon’s brow. Bright liquid crimson streamed down the long arch of his neck.

  It’s okay, she said to him. While virtually everyone else scrambled to get out of his way, she climbed over the rocks toward him, hand outstretched. I’m here. You’re going to be okay….

  The dragon mantled gigantic wings, strewing more debris and throwing a shadow over the clearing. Snapping his head back aroun
d to her, he bared wicked, razor-sharp teeth as long as her torso.

  Face upturned, she stood motionless as his massive, monstrous head snaked toward her.

  The dragon’s jaws opened wide, and he snapped at her.

  Hot breath blasted her hair back from her face. The edge of the dragon’s teeth tore through the front of her dress, and Eva slammed into her from the side, tackling her to the ground.

  It knocked the breath out of her. Even as she coughed and struggled to take a wheezing breath, her gaze never left Dragos as all her emotions and beliefs vaporized. Like the collapsing bedrock, they crumbled to dust.

  All the terror and dread of the last several minutes, and all the joy and relief.

  The unshakeable foundation of her faith that he would never, could never, hurt her.

  Tail lashing from side to side, the dragon roared. The gigantic sound shook the earth, and fire boiled out of his massive, parted jaws. Spraying fire in a circle, he sent people screaming as they ran away.

  His wings hammered down, and he launched.

  As she watched the dragon climb in the air, wheel and wing away, she didn’t know she could exist in such a cold, barren place.

  She watched him until he had shrunk to a small speck in the sky and disappeared.

  Come back, she whispered. Come back.

  But her whisper was small and uncertain.

  A million miles away, Eva rolled off her body and yanked her up by the shoulders. The other woman seemed to be shouting at her. She focused on Eva’s lips as they shaped words. Are you hurt? Did you get burned anywhere?

  One side of Eva’s face was blistered, her dark eyes wide.

  Pia looked around the clearing. Other people were burned and stumbling to help each other, some standing still as they stared up at the empty sky. Glancing down at herself, she fingered her dress. The bright material was torn, sheared by the edge of the dragon’s teeth.

  The immense distance between her and the rest of the world started to dissipate, and pain intruded. Her chest hurt, and her legs and back felt scraped and bruised from landing in a sprawl on the rocky, uneven ground.

  Her ability to think returned as well, but thankfully all her emotions stayed away. Glancing down at her scraped, raw fingers, she laid her hand gently against Eva’s burned cheek and watched as the other woman’s burns faded away.

  She said, “I need a phone. Now.”

  Eva nodded and whirled away. When she returned a few moments later, she held out a cell phone wordlessly.

  Taking it, Pia dialed a number she knew by heart and listened to ringing.

  A moment later, the call was answered.

  Graydon said, “I don’t know this number. Who are you?”

  “Gray,” she said. “I need you.”

  “Pia? Is that you, cupcake?”

  In her mind’s eye, she saw again the dragon’s teeth approaching.

  Snapping at her.

  “I need all the sentinels,” she told him. Her shoulders shuddered, as if her body wanted to sob again. She shut that down hard. She didn’t have time to cry. “You’d better bring the demesne lawyers with you.”

  His voice sharpened, all the mild good humor falling away. “What happened? Where’s Dragos?”

  She lifted her head and stared at the empty sky. “We’re not talking about it over the phone,” she said softly. “But I think you should bring some treasure too. Lots and lots of treasure.”

  * * *

  One small blessing had occurred.

  Everyone had already been scrambling to get away from Dragos, so the dragon’s fire had caused only light burns. There was only one casualty from the construction site accident—Ned Brandling, the shift foreman.

  Back at the house, Eva told her about Brandling’s death while she took another quick shower to wash away the dust and grime. The scrapes on her fingers had already healed, and the bruises along her back and legs were fading.

  Neither of them had mentioned Dragos’s name since he had disappeared. Pia could tell by the quick, nervous way Eva spoke that the other woman was scared, but she had nothing to offer as reassurance or comfort.

  After her shower, she dressed in sturdy clothes, knee-length jean shorts and a T-shirt, and tennis shoes. She moved fast, because she could hear Liam crying over the baby monitor, along with Hugh’s gentle attempts to comfort him.

  As soon as she had yanked on her shoes, Eva straightened. “What now?”

  Pia said, “I’m going to take care of Liam. Go clean up.”

  Scowling, Eva flexed her hands. “I’m not leaving you.”

  The other woman was still covered in dust from the site. Pia glanced at her and shook her head. “You’re not going into Liam’s nursery like that. God only knows what he can sense of what’s happened, and he already sounds frightened enough as it is. I don’t want you upsetting him any further.”

  Looking abashed, Eva ducked her head. “Sorry,” she muttered. “I didn’t think. I’ll get cleaned up and be right back.”

  Without further delay, Pia went into Liam’s nursery. Hugh was cradling and walking him. As soon as Liam saw her, he wailed louder and tried to throw his body forward, reaching for her.

  A sharp sliver of feeling wormed its way into her frozen heart. Gathering Liam close, she walked over to the rocking chair and pulled his favorite blanket around him.

  Looking up into Hugh’s worried expression, she said, “See that we’re not disturbed until the sentinels arrive.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” he said, his voice soft and careful. “I’ll keep watch outside the door.”

  “Thank you.”

  As he eased the door shut behind him, she turned her attention to Liam. The toddler had clenched both fists into the front of her T-shirt. As soon as her eyes met his, his small face crumpled. The sliver of feeling in her heart grew larger until it was a hot, agonized pain, and she fought back tears of her own.

  “Shh, my sweetest darling,” she whispered, stroking Liam’s silken head.

  He put his cheek against hers in a gesture at once so mature and loving, it broke the tension in her spine, and she wrapped around him tightly. He clung to her, and neither of them moved until the door opened some time later, and Graydon strode in.

  Graydon was the biggest of the sentinels, a burly, mild mannered giant almost as large as Dragos in his human form.

  Just like Dragos, as always when Graydon entered the room, the available space seemed to shrink, due as much to the potent force of his personality as to his size. He wore the sentinel’s usual outfit of black T-shirt, jeans and boots—clothing that was sturdy enough for a rough, often violent lifestyle and easy to discard when damaged—along with a Glock in a holster clipped to the waist of his jeans.

  As soon as he saw her and Liam in the rocking chair, he strode toward them, went down on one knee and would have taken them into his arms if she hadn’t stopped him with one hand pressed against his chest.

  She couldn’t bear to be hugged at the moment, or she might break down. And she didn’t have time to break down. She had too much to do.

  One look into Graydon’s darkened, sober gaze, and she could tell that he had already heard at least some version of what had happened.

  She patted him on the chest in silent apology for rebuffing his hug, and he took her hand. He told her telepathically. Everyone else is downstairs, except for Alex, who drew the short straw, and Aryal, who went down to the construction site to try to find out how the accident occurred.

  Unsurprised, she nodded. Whenever a situation was serious enough to call for the full strength of the sentinels, they always left one of them behind in New York to handle whatever might arise while the rest were gone.

  The lawyers are here too?

  His jaw tightened as he nodded. Them too. And I wasn’t sure what you meant by treasure, but I brought rough, uncut jewels and gold.

  That’s fine, she said.

  His rugged, weather-beaten face looked tight with worry. What do you need right now?


  Steeling her spine, she told him, I need for the sentinels to find out where Dragos has gone. Just track him down. It’s important you keep your presence cloaked. Don’t approach him, and don’t try to talk to him. He took a blow to the head. He was bleeding profusely, and—and—Graydon, he’s not himself right now.

  His hand tightened on hers. What do you mean? The stories we heard have been pretty confused. What really happened out there?

  Cupping the back of Liam’s head, she met his gaze. I mean the only reason he didn’t kill me earlier was because Eva knocked me out of the way.

  His eyes dilated in a quick reaction to her words. That’s impossible. He would die before he ever hurt you.

  Of course he would, she snapped. Her mouth worked as she fought to keep her face from crumpling as Liam’s had earlier. If he remembered me, he would.

  Graydon’s indrawn breath was sharp and audible. Okay, we’ll find him. I swear it.

  Do it fast, she said tightly. There’s only so much I can heal. When Quentin and Aryal were so badly injured in the spring, I could help them, but only to a certain extent. Too much time had passed, and they both ended up scarred.

  Also, much of her Wyr nature still remained a mystery to her. She had no idea if the healing properties in her blood would help Dragos’s mental state, or if she could only heal physical wounds.

  That was assuming she could coax the dragon into letting her close enough to heal him. If Dragos had suffered some kind of traumatic amnesia, there was a possibility he might never recover his memories.

  And he had snapped at her.

  Snapped.

  Closing her eyes, she tightened her jaw against the memory.

  Wyr mated for life, but nobody fully understood why. It was a complicated process involving emotions, sexual attraction, timing and opportunity.