Nightfall (Nightmare Dragons Book 2) Page 16

  The thought of having that kind of hope was bright enough to blind him, and he froze in place.

  He wanted to run into the club, grab Sasha, carry her home caveman style, and tell her he could be just as stupid as Nathan. That she wasn’t just some human. She was special to him.

  But for some reason, he still held back.

  The oracle watched him as the seconds ticked by. “You wanted to see me, so what is it you wanted?”

  “It’s not you I wanted to see,” he said quietly.

  “You wanted revenge, then. Because Irial wouldn’t have helped you. Her purpose could only have ever been selfish. My guess is that it was a trap. If you had stayed out of sight long enough, perhaps you could have proved useful to her. That’s all.”

  That didn’t make things any better.

  Dare thought of so many nights, so much loneliness. So much feeding in the dark.

  The oracle let out a breath. “I know what you do. It’s not something I’m familiar with, but maybe it’s something we need. I won’t know just yet. That’s why I need you to be patient with me a little longer.”

  His gaze snapped to her. “So I’m to be a prisoner, then? I won’t let anyone do tests on me.”

  “Never a prisoner. No reason to lock you up. I don’t sense you are a danger to anything good. And yes, I would like to do some tests, but not until you are ready.”

  “I see.”

  The oracle smiled in a way that left him off-kilter. “But it would be so much better—at least, I would feel better about it—if you had a mate.”

  A tiny ray of light burst into him, and he tried to smother it as everyone watched in silence. “I don’t know what you mean. It wouldn’t be safe for her.”

  “I think it would.”

  “I can’t risk it.”

  “I think you can.”

  “I won’t.”

  The oracle looked at the clock. “Well, I would try it quickly if I were you, because it’s probably the only thing that would make me feel safe with you around. With a human, you have at least an excuse not to go rogue, and you can suppress your form much better. Yes, I think I would have to make you a prisoner if you won’t accept your mate.”

  Dare froze, heart pounding painfully. Could this oracle really do that?

  He swallowed. Sasha was out there, probably dancing with another man, and it was killing him.

  If he went out there, if he said he wanted her, would things really work out? Would she really want him after all he had done?

  He thought of her eyes, shining when they’d made love, shining with sorrow when he’d let her down, and knew she probably would, despite everything. If he hurried.

  “I’ll go now.”

  “Good,” Benny said, sitting back.

  “I don’t even understand what is going on,” Max said, looking around.

  “He’s going to find Sasha,” Benny said.

  “Good,” Harley said, slumping in her chair. “Because I’m not going to mate him. No way.”

  Dare didn’t have time to be offended, because he had to find his mate. If she would just forgive him, he could let go of everything else.

  If she could just not hate him for everything he’d said. For how wrong he’d been…

  Dare was almost to the door when he heard the clock strike and felt his whole body begin to vibrate.

  There were humans out there on the dance floor. Shit, he was going to transform. He fought off the transformation as he stumbled around the table to the other side of the room, pushing himself back into the corner where the ceilings were highest.

  He heard wood cracking and saw splinters flying as his wings burst out of him and he began to rise to his monster height.

  Screams sounded from all around him, and he heard chairs tip over as people began to scramble backward.

  See? Even shifters were afraid of his kind.

  But the oracle made it in front of the door, blocking it off. “Wait, no one goes out there! We can’t let the humans inside.”

  He wouldn’t be able to get to Sasha, and once they saw what he was, they would end him.

  He was too late.

  Chapter 22

  Sasha sat at the bar, pouting, looking at the drink in her hands. She’d planned to go out on the dance floor to distract herself from not being in the meeting but couldn’t seem to get up the nerve.

  There was no one she wanted to dance with there, and she had already turned down a few others, including Lock.

  Somehow, Dare was all she could think about.

  Yes, she’d fallen for some bad guys in the past, but this was different. When those didn’t work out, she cried and moved on from them. This felt like something she wanted to move forward with, even if it was going to take work.

  Oh God, she was a sucker.

  Sitting out here and letting him decide things. She picked up her drink and swallowed it at once, then set it down angrily.

  It had just struck midnight, so probably he was fine and that other girl had been able to help.

  So much for feeling special because she’d been the one to do it.

  Still, she didn’t regret coming here. She was done doing what everyone else said. Dare would probably be mad if he knew, but she didn’t care.

  She was making her own decisions now. And when Dare came out, she would make a few more.

  She wasn’t just going to let this go easy. She knew he was the one she would always want. He wanted her, too, though he wouldn’t admit it.

  She couldn’t just go back to the library. She couldn’t just go back to her quiet life. She was in love with him, and if she could trust any of her instincts, he was in love with her, too.

  The more she thought about it, the more she realized Lock and Benny were right. Dare did care, but he was running for her sake. Or perhaps because he was afraid.

  All her life, Sasha had dreamed of a knight on a white horse who would rescue her and carry her away.

  Perhaps she needed to be the one on the horse. Perhaps he was the one who needed rescue from his own stupid self-hatred.

  She rolled up the sleeves of the dress she was wearing and shoved herself off of her stool. If Dare was in that meeting, she should be with him, and he could go to hell if he tried to say no.

  She stormed to the door that led to the backroom, only swaying slightly from the alcohol she’d imbibed. Then she thought she heard noises and put her ear a little closer to the door.

  “Good God, what is that?” a feminine voice shouted. And then something crashed as though a chair were knocked over.

  “A monster! I’m gonna shift,” a male voice said.

  “You can’t. We’re indoors!” That sounded like Benny.

  And then a deeper male voice. “No way I’m letting that thing near my mate. I must kill it.”

  Sasha’s eyes widened. Whoever it was, they must be talking about Dare. She grabbed the doorknob and twisted it, but the door wouldn’t open because there was something blocking it just inside.

  Deciding to pull a Dare, Sasha hauled her foot back and kicked the door, throwing all her weight into it and knocking back whatever had been blocking her way.

  Sasha stumbled into the room and shoved the door shut behind her as she regained her balance, and silence fell over the room.

  She looked down to see an older woman pushing herself to her feet with the help of a tall man with dark-brown hair and hawkish yellow eyes.

  Just what was going on here?

  There were several people in the room Sasha didn’t recognize, but her gaze went only to Dare.

  When she saw him, she ran to him.

  He was currently trapped with his wings stuck into the joists holding up the ceiling, curled up like he’d tried not to transform.

  He looked just like the night she’d first seen him. Eight feet tall, with long horns and terrifying large red eyes. White scales that glistened and flashed red as if they were dipped in blood.

  A long, spiked tail, swinging and slashing, c
ausing splinters to go flying around.

  Huge, muscular arms, currently trying to pull his wings from the joists without pulling everything down. But the more he tried to move, the more he seemed stuck, wedged between the wall and the ceiling.

  “Shh,” she said, walking up to him. Though he’d terrified her the night he’d taken her, he didn’t scare her at all now.

  Maybe it was the alcohol. More likely, it was the way she loved him and could see his face there, even in this form.

  She found him… beautiful.

  She moved forward, and despite his extreme tensing as he tried to avoid her touch, she wrapped her arms around him, wondering at the hard, cold feel of his form.

  It was almost silky as she ran her hands over it.

  She looked into his eyes and smiled.

  “If that’s not love, what is?” someone murmured behind her.

  As if it were the hardest thing in the world for him, she felt his arms slowly, carefully go around her, felt his skin begin to transform.

  She closed her eyes as his lips came down onto hers, let him kiss her as long as he needed for his heart to calm down.

  When she’d seen him there, struggling, with people afraid of him, people ready to attack him, even people who shouldn’t have been scared, it made her finally understand him.

  The fear he had that he would never be wanted. The belief that deep down he was no good.

  She felt his lips become human against hers and opened her eyes to look up at him, pulling back to kiss her way up his cheek and over his ear, loving the feel of every part of who he was.

  Then she caught his face in both hands, her fingertips winding in his hair. “You’re mine,” she said. “Stupid.”

  Apparently, the other human hadn’t been able to help him at all. It could only be Sasha’s job, and she’d be damned if anyone stopped her from doing it.

  Dare smiled down at her. “I know.” He reached up to stroke her face. “You’re mine, too.”

  Was it possible? She looked around her and saw everyone was watching, jaws dropped.

  She simply pulled Dare in close as she looked at the woman who was probably the oracle. “Is that her?”

  Dare shook his head. “She’s an oracle, but not the one who made me. But we’re going to work everything out.”

  He straightened and stretched painfully, still a little pale from before. But he tucked Sasha in against him possessively, holding her tight.

  “Tell her what my terms are,” the oracle said, tilting her head at them.

  Sasha looked curiously up at Dare. He grabbed both of her hands in his carefully, looking like he was gathering his thoughts.

  “She said I’m going to prison unless I can find a mate. Prison is probably what I deserve, but it’s not what I want.”

  “What do you want, then?”

  “I want to stay with you, Sasha. I want to be with you for life. I’ve wanted that from the moment I met you, but I know it’s not what I deserve. Still, it can’t hurt to beg.” He pressed his lips together nervously. “Sasha, I love you. I know I’m the one who is supposed to save you, and I’ll protect you for the rest of our lives, but can you save me just this one time?”

  She laughed and threw her arms around him, yanking him down for a kiss. Hopefully, that answered his question, because right now, she couldn’t let go of him.

  And he was kissing the life out of her in return.

  She felt warmth in the room and jerked away from Dare just as blue light filled the room and then faded away.

  “What was that?” Dare asked, pushing Sasha behind him.

  The others in the room just stared. There was no sign of the oracle at all.

  “She’ll be back,” the woman with long blond hair said quietly.

  And then it was just the group of them, alone in the semi-trashed room.

  Dare couldn’t believe what had just happened. Sasha had come for him. Embraced him in monster form. As she’d kissed him, for the first time, he’d actually felt like a dragon.

  Something strong and good that could make a difference in this world. He would have to learn more about them.

  But as long as Sasha loved him, he was also okay as he was.

  The rest of the room’s inhabitants were still wide-eyed, surveying the damage.

  Benny got up and went to examine the joists. He seemed the least affected by Dare’s transformation. “You’re going to pay for that,” he said, shaking his head with a laugh.

  “Yeah.” Dare agreed.

  Lead stood up and came over to him, frowning. “Dragon? I don’t think so.”

  Mercury was still being restrained by his mate since he’d been about to attack. Dare didn’t blame him. If someone shifted while his mate was in the room, he’d want to attack as well.

  They didn’t know Dare couldn’t control it.

  Mercury gently pulled away from Marina and came forward, folding his arms. “Yeah, no. Way too ugly. Not a dragon.”

  Lead let out a laugh. “That’s rich coming from the ugliest dragon of all time.”

  Mercury pointed at Dare. “Not anymore.”

  Dare spoke up. “I’d like to see your dragon forms sometime.”

  Mercury just nodded, and Dare felt an odd sense of calm wash over him as he realized these people were going to accept who he was.

  All thanks to Sasha.

  It was still hard to accept that his entire life before this was wrong and he could finally have good things now. It made it painful that he’d wasted those other years, believing things that were wrong.

  But he could either obsess over it or move forward, and looking at Sasha, he knew what he wanted.

  The future. With her.

  The other dragons said they had to get back to their home, and they came to say their good-byes. When they were gone, Benny said he should probably get back to bartending.

  But after all the excitement, Dare found himself a little bit lost.

  “I… guess we still don’t have many answers.”

  Benny nodded. “But you heard Marina. The oracle will be back.” He gave Dare a wry look. “Damn, that thing you change into is terrifying. I like it a lot.” He barked out a laugh.

  Harley came over to him, taking his arm. “Come on. We should probably head out.”

  Benny nodded. “I’ll let you know when the dragons get back in touch.”

  Dare kept his arm around Sasha. “But what do we do in the meantime?

  Benny cocked his head patiently. “I suppose the answer is simpler than you’re wanting. Just allow yourself to be happy.”

  Dare frowned. For some reason, that had always seemed like the hardest thing of all. But for Sasha, he would try.

  “All right, now you two get out of here. I assume you both need to go talk.” Benny shoved Dare and Sasha toward a back exit that Dare hadn’t noticed before.

  They stumbled out into the night air and found the door quickly shut behind them. Dare shared a disbelieving look with Sasha. Everything had happened so fast.

  And now they were alone again.

  “I guess… I guess we should go home now,” Dare said, rubbing the back of his neck. He pulled away a stray piece of wood that had embedded there.

  “I guess,” Sasha said.

  They headed out onto the sidewalk and walked in the direction of his car.

  He cocked his head at her. “You weren’t supposed to be here tonight.”

  “No,” she said innocently. “But I’m glad I was. You are, too. I’m sure.”

  Dare nodded. When they reached his car, he opened her door for her and handed her in. Then he came and sat in the driver’s seat. But he paused before starting the car. “You don’t mind my other form? You weren’t scared of it.”

  She pursed her lips thoughtfully, then shook her head. “You’re you. You’re not really a big scary monster. No matter what you think.”

  He huffed as he pulled on his seatbelt. “I can be if someone is threatening you.”

  “That
’s not a monster. That’s a hero.” She smiled, looking pleased with herself. “So I was right.”

  “Yes, you were,” he said, unable to resist leaning down and kissing her just one more time. “I love you,” he murmured against her lips.

  She just sank farther into his arms.

  He no longer really cared if he was a monster or a hero, as long as he could be hers.

  Chapter 23

  Dare’s hand on Sasha’s leg was warm, comforting, as they drove down the nearly empty highway. Above them, towering streetlights cut through the darkness before them, accentuating the short stretches of total night in between each beam.

  With mild surprise, she registered that they’d already passed the exit for her apartment in the quiet part of town.

  “Where are we going?” Sasha asked, looking over at Dare.

  He glanced at her, then focused on the road. The looming skyscrapers of the downtown district rose before them like sparkling crystals reflecting the city all around them.

  “I figured we could go to my place tonight. If that’s okay with you.” A passing car on the opposite side of the road lit up his gaze.

  “That sounds great. For a while, I was starting to wonder if you actually had a place of your own.” She smiled over at him, and he raised an eyebrow.

  “I’m not my brothers, but I’m not homeless, if that’s what you think.”

  She tugged at his hand playfully, squeezing it, and he grinned, palming the wheel to get off on the exit. Even at this hour, the downtown district was still quite alive as small groups of people strolled and cars passed by to whereabouts unknown. A minute later, Dare pulled into an underground garage and parked, then came around to help her out of her seat.

  Even with the adrenaline of everything that had happened earlier wearing off, a new excitement sent little chills down the backs of Sasha’s arms as Dare pulled her in next to him, leading her through the garage toward an elevator entrance. Once inside, he inserted a key, then clicked a button indicating one of the higher floors.

  “Ooh, fancy,” she exclaimed.

  “Yeah, don’t get your hopes up. I’m no Martha Stewart,” he said drily, a hint of tension in his voice.