"In case you're wondering," Grace said to Gray, "the Atlantean Mists are the portals you used to get here."
Jewel finally looked at him. Gray's skin was pallid, the lines around his mouth taut.
"Speaking of the portals," Grace added, "how did you get past Darius?"
Finally he snapped back to attention, though his expression remained grim. "You have a portal here? This isn't the palace I entered."
Darius's lips dipped into a fierce frown. "You entered Javar's. The guards posted there obviously didn't see you. Did you hurt them?" He leaned forward on his elbows.
"No, I didn't hurt them. They never even knew I was there. They were busy with something else."
The war with the nymphs? Jewel wondered. She didn't mention it to Darius. Not yet.
Two darks brows slashed upward. "You must be a fine warrior, then," Darius said.
"I am," Gray answered matter-of-factly.
"Did anyone else enter with you?"
"No, just me."
"What about after you?"
"No one that I know of."
"I knew better than to send such an army of hatchlings," the dragon king muttered, "but I had to give Kendrick a chance to lead."
"Enough." Grace kissed his cheek. "We can deal with Kendrick and the other portal later. Right now we need to discuss vampires and demons and this sense of doom Jewel has."
"I do not know what they are planning," Jewel stated. "Yet."
"You will find out." A demand, not a request.
She nodded.
Gray shook his head. "If she has to do anything dangerous, the answer is no."
"Nothing dangerous," she promised. "Just exhausting." Without another word, she closed her eyes and blanked her mind, ignoring everything around her.
Gray watched her, ready to spring to the rescue if she even grimaced. Her features began to relax, her breathing evened out, steady, but slow. Too slow. Several moments passed in surreal expectation. And then she spoke, her voice layered with other voices, the sound eerie. Like a legion of ghosts. It was the same way she'd spoken to him when they'd been chased by the mers.
"Your enemies hide in the forest, making their way to the border of your land. In three days, they will sneak inside this palace. The demons will attack first, your fire unable to hurt them. While you are distracted with them, the vampires will move through the shadows and conquer the caves beneath us."
Darius's jaw twitched once, twice. "Do they know we possess Dunamis?"
"Not at this time."
"How can I stop them? How can I prevent this from happening?"
Her expression never wavered, and she continued in that odd voice. "You must attack first. When the third morning dawns, fly into the forest and surround them, then quickly close on their ranks with fire and ice."
"I don't understand." The dragon king shoved to his feet and paced. "How do I use both fire and ice?"
My God, Gray thought. This was exactly why men fought for this woman. Why she was so dangerous in the wrong hands. She could outline an enemy's entire battle plan--and exactly how to defeat it. He'd known, even glimpsed it before, but this...
If anyone on the surface discovered Dunamis was actually a woman, greedy human hands would always be reaching for her. Hunting her. Like she was hunted here, but worse.
Finding out he couldn't take her to the surface with him because she was physically bound to Atlantis had been a blow he had yet to recover from. Watching her in action was yet another blow, driving home the fact that she would never be safe, no matter where she resided.
"While the dragons breathe fire, the human must use ice."
Darius's hard blue gaze flicked to Gray. "Do you have ice?"
"No." He frowned in confusion.
Grace snapped her fingers, her eyes growing wide. "She means the fire extinguishers. The ones brought in from the last human invasion. The ones you have stored here, but your men can't use because dragons are weakened by cold."
Jewel slumped in her chair. Gray caught her and drew her limp body into his arms. "Sweetheart," he said.
She didn't respond. Her eyes remained closed, her expression soft as if from sleep.
"I'm taking her to the room," he said, concern overriding all else. "She's had enough."
Darius nodded. "Will you help us, human? Will you carry the ice when we attack?"
He didn't have time. He needed to get home. But the thought of three more days--and nights--with Jewel was an incentive he couldn't resist. "I have two conditions."
Darius arched a brow. "The first?"
"Jewel was desperate to search the Temple of Cronus for information about her father, but your men stopped us. Send someone to the ruins to search for anything she might find useful."
"Consider it done. The second?"
"When I leave, I want you to keep Jewel here. Keep her safe. You lost her before, and that--"
"Will not happen again. We are stronger now and no one, no one, will harm her. She will be safe with me."
Gray fought past a haze of fury and sadness and relief, and inclined his chin in acknowledgement of their deal. "Then consider me the Ice Man."
AFTER GRAY TUCKED a still sleeping Jewel into bed, smoothed her hair from her face, and placed a soft kiss on her lips, he gripped his transmitter and hunched over the edge of the bed. "Santa to Mother."
Several seconds passed in silence.
"Santa to Mother," he said again.
"Mother here. Has something happened to the package?"
"Package secure." He'd hand them the sapphire in his bag without a twinge of conscience.
Before he could tell his boss the reason for his call, Quinlin said, "Did you figure out that little riddle about the jewel being able to breathe?"
"It was buried under a mound of rocks." Lie. "I figure the text was referring to its lack of air." Bigger lie.
"Makes sense."
Hallelujah. Bringing them back to the business at hand, he said, "I wanted to let you know I'll be home later than planned."
Crackling pause. "Should we send in a cleaning crew?"
"No." He ran a hand down his face. "I've got everything under control. I'm just having to take the long way home to avoid detaining." God, when had he become such a liar? "Over."
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
"I'M SORRY, my queen, but the dragons...they have Dunamis."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. I saw it with my own eyes, walking along the parapet."
If Darius had Dunamis all was lost. Marina would never be able to defeat him--he would already know of their plan. "Layel," she screamed. "Layel!"
Within seconds, the vampire flew to her side, his expression weary. "What now?"
Panicked, she ranted and shouted out the information she'd just been given.
The vampire king frowned. "So we must assume they know our battle plan."
"What are we going to do?"
"We will attack."
"Now?"
"Now." He nodded.
"They must know and will have planned some way to stop us."
His frown deepened. "That is a chance we will have to take. I, for one, will not walk away from this war. Let's prepare our men."
GRAY AND JEWEL LINGERED in their room for the next two days, making love and enjoying each other. They were naked, and holding on to each other tightly. He couldn't stop touching her. He planned to make enough memories with her to last him a lifetime.
"I'm scared for you," she said softly. "You're only one man, and I don't want you to fight the demons alone. I don't want you to leave this bed."
"This is something I have to do, baby." He trusted Darius to keep her here, and in return he would do whatever the dragon king needed of him.
"What if--"
"Baby, I've been fighting in wars my entire life. First with my dad, then my brothers, then for my country. I'll be okay."
"Will you go home?" she asked softly, hesitantly. "After? Without me?"
"Yes."
His tone was finite, leaving no room for argument.
Tears glistened in her eyes. Hell, he felt his own tears burn in his eyes. "At least we've got now, this moment." His hand explored the hollow of her back and she shivered. "Let's not waste a second of it."
LATER, when their passion was sated, Gray taught Jewel how to best defend herself. He'd put it off long enough, knowing it would depress her. She'd done excellently until this point, but he wanted her better prepared. He wanted to know she could save herself from any situation. Just in case.
She stood in the center of their room, and Gray walked around her, his hands locked behind his back like a military leader. "When I'm gone," he stumbled over the word, "Darius is going to keep you here. But he won't always be around, so I want you well able to take care of yourself."
"I've done quite well so far."
"Yes, but I want you to do better. You're not someone who can scream for help because the people you draw to you might be interested in keeping you for themselves. You have to learn to rely on yourself."
Her lips dipped, giving her a sad, vulnerable expression.
"Quick question. You're walking through the city alone at night and a group of men approach you, intent on forcing you to leave with them. Do you run away or try and fight them off?"
"Fight them off?"
"Wrong. It was a trick question. You don't walk through the city alone at night. That's lesson one. Understand?"
She nodded, her eyes following him as best they could as he continued to circle her.
"Lesson two," he said. He needed to cram months of instruction into a few hours, and urgency was riding him hard. "Any room or building you enter, you scan immediately. You study the occupants. You study the best way out. And you don't let anyone know you're doing it."
"How?"
"Keep your expression casual and your interest focused. Do it now. Scan this room without looking guilty or purposeful."
Her gaze darted left and right, and he shook his head. "Slower," he said. "Combine a look with an action, but never let your gaze linger too long."
She tossed her hair over one shoulder and turned her head, looking directly at him. She grinned, still a little sad, then looked away.
"Good." He wrapped his arms around her waist. "Now tell me what you saw."
"You."
"Describe me. My expression, my stance."
"Your lips were taut and hard, and your eyes were determined. You had your hands at your sides, and I think you had an erection."
He laughed, his first moment of amusement since realizing he had to go home without her. "That's good. Real good. People who seem to be in the wrong place should trigger your suspicions. If you see a centaur in the demon side of town, you'll know he doesn't belong. Therefore you'll know to avoid him. And by the way, I don't want you to ever go into the demon side of town. That was merely an example."
"That, I promise you, I will never do."
"Good. Always remain calm. Emotions cause people to do stupid things. If someone calls you a bad name, don't let it upset you. What does the bastard's opinion matter anyway?"
"You're right," she said with a nod.
"If someone comes after you, try to get away from them. Don't try to fight them if you don't have to."
"And if I can't get away?"
"Then, and only then, do you fight," he said, stepping in front of her. "Go for the most vulnerable part of the body first."
Her gaze strayed to his groin.
"That's a good place, but not always the best. If you poke your assailant's eyes hard enough, he won't be able to see well enough to find you."
She grimaced but nodded.
"Anything can be used as a weapon. A rock off the ground. A stick. If you have them, use them. You can shove a thin stick inside the assailant's ear and slow him down. The eardrum is sensitive and busting it hurts." His stomach was knotting as he thought of her needing to use these techniques.
He closed some more of the distance between them, and her gaze traveled up, up, until their eyes met. She gulped. Her intoxicating scent surrounded him as he reached up and traced a finger down her windpipe.
"This is where air goes from your mouth to your lungs. It's sensitive and fragile. If you punch someone here, you'll disable them." He didn't mention that she would probably kill them if she punched hard enough. He didn't want her worried about that; he only wanted her concerned with her own survival.
His hands lowered, caressing down her arms and spanning over her ribs. "If you're close enough, if someone is holding on to you like this, you can knee or elbow him in the stomach. That will make it difficult for him to breathe and help loosen his hold on you."
She licked her lips, her eyelids dripping to half-mast.
"You already know about the groin," he said, trailing his fingertips down her stomach and cupping her.
Her mouth parted on a shaky gasp.
"Use your knee or your foot and don't hold back your strength. Hit as hard as you can and it will paralyze your attacker for several seconds."
"What do I do if he's gotten his hands around my neck?" she asked breathlessly.
Gray drew his arms up and gently wrapped his fingers around the area in question, but he didn't apply pressure. "If that happens, you have to act immediately because their intent is to make you pass out. And the longer you're in that kind of hold, the more lightheaded and weak you'll become. If you've tried to poke his eyes, have tried to kick his groin and neither of those worked, you reach up outside his arms." When she did so, he added, "Now slam your fists down on the middle, at the inside of my elbow."
She did it, but used a touch as gentle as his. Her gaze once more locked on his, and the sexual awareness intensified between them. It never left them, really.
"Your goal isn't to beat up your attacker, but merely to disable him and escape."
"There's a difference?" Her nose nuzzled the underside of his jaw.
He almost threw her on the bed and claimed her then, but refused to end her lesson. This was too important. "In the first scenario, rage is your primary emotion. In the second, survival is your only concern. Next time you punch someone like you did the merman, make sure to load your punch."
"How?"
"Pull back and get as much distance as possible between your fist and your target before you slam forward. Also, if you can shove your palm into your opponent's nose, that's even better." He clasped her hand in his, opened her fingers, and placed her palm inches from his nose. "Hit up and hit hard."
She nodded, and he dropped their hands. He didn't release her, he couldn't. Touching her provided the link he craved, a link he needed as much as he needed to take his next breath.
"If you can't get your palm to their nose, use your forehead. Your purpose is to distract the attacker and free yourself from his clutches."
She leaned into him and licked the seam of his lips. "I'll practice everything you've shown me."
His tongue pushed past her lips, her teeth, and swept inside her mouth. Her flavor filled him, sweet and wonderful and all Jewel. God, he was going to miss her. He wasn't sure he could survive without her.
"Take me to bed, Gray. Drink from me like before."
And he did.
A HORN BLARED.
Gray jerked upright in bed, jolted from a peaceful sleep. "What the hell is that?"
Beside him, Jewel was pale and shaky and it had nothing to do with the fact that he'd drunk from her neck a little while ago. She was afraid. Very afraid.
As she pulled herself up, the sheet fell to her waist, revealing the perfect mounds of her breasts. "This is the third day. The demons and vampires are closing in on the palace. I just sent a mental warning to Darius."
By the next heartbeat of time, he had already jumped out of bed and grabbed his military fatigues. He slipped them on quickly, then strapped his knife to his belt.
The horn blared again.
Beyond the door, he heard the shuffle of feet, the angry growls of men.
Gray stalked over to Jewel, who still sat in bed, her features devoid of any emotion. He bent down in front of her and reached inside his bag, where he still kept the armband he'd bought for her.
"This is for you," he said.
"Me?" Her eyes grew wide and watery, and her lips trembled as he slid the band up her arm. "You bought it for me in the city? Why?"
The horn sounded yet again.
"Because you wanted it," he rushed out, "and I knew it would look lovely on you." He reached up and swept her hair off her shoulders, then anchored the gold band in place. It gleamed bright, the sapphire as enchanting as her eyes. "And because you are the love of my life."
Without another word, he stood and strode from the room. He didn't allow himself a backward glance as he followed several men into some sort of training arena. An army of dragons were already there, lined up, Darius marching in front of them.
"Show no mercy," Darius was saying. "We will destroy the vampires once and for all with our fire, and the human will vanquish the demons with his ice. Dunamis has proclaimed it."
Their cheers echoed off the walls.
"These creatures think to surprise us with an attack, but we will show them the error of their ways. The three of you," the king said, pointing. "Carry the ice makers for the human. Do not let the contents touch your skin or you will be weakened. You will stay with him and hand him the equipment as needed."
As Grace said, the ice makers were actually fire extinguishers and there were at least sixty of them. He'd done battle with quite a few weapons, but never with liquid nitrogen. He would have preferred a few grenades, maybe a case of C4, but he would take what he could get.
"Become dragons, my friends, and let us fly."
A legion of roars sounded, echoing through the rounded enclosure. Clothes were ripped away, faces were elongated, wings and tails and claws grew. He'd seen this change before, but he still couldn't tear his eyes away. The men had become snarling, fire-breathing beasts. One of them--he thought it was Brand--motioned him over with a long claw and onto his back.