Deryk (Dragon Hearts #2)(19)

“Vaughn was on his way to an assignation, but before he got there, he was attacked on a side street,” Bryn supplied with his usual terse manner.

“Attacked how?” Dragons were invulnerable for the main part, and Vaughn should have been able to fend off any sort of attack by a human.

“They tried to cut his head off with a machete-like knife.” Bryn nodded as Deryk raised surprised brows. “It was obviously someone who knew it was one of the few ways to kill a dragon.”

“Shit.”

“Where the hell were you?” Bryn demanded to know.

“With Izabella.”

“Can she verify that?”

“Does she need to?”

Bryn glanced at the four glowering Romanov brothers. “Oh I think so, don’t you?”

Boxing Izabella into a corner was exactly what Deryk didn’t want, and if he claimed her as his alibi, then that was exactly what he would be doing. Once his presence at Izabella’s apartment became public knowledge, her parents would then also become involved, and he doubted Izabella was any more ready to talk to them yet about the two of them than she was the Romanov brothers.

Because, as far as Izabella was concerned, there was no “them” to talk about yet. If ever.

His mouth tightened. “I’m not involving Izabella.”

Bryn turned so that his back was toward the watching Romanov brothers. “Are you fucking insane? These guys are just itching to take retribution for their brother.”

Deryk shrugged. “Then let them try. I’m in the mood for a fight tonight.”

His brother studied him closely. “The evening didn’t go well?” Once again, Bryn had been the one to make excuses for Deryk’s nonappearance at dinner.

He grimaced. “I think Izabella’s reaction to the idea of mating with me is worse than Chloe’s was to Nathaniel.”

Bryn scowled. “You should have talked to her before starting the mating. Explained the situation to her.”

Deryk raised his eyes heavenward. “Well, I know that now. Wait until meet your own mate, breathe in her scent, and let’s see how well you do explaining before claiming her,” he added irritably as Bryn still looked condemning.

His brother snorted. “I’m not expecting to ever meet my mate.”

“Why the hell not?”

“Because I’m a bad-tempered cuss at the best of times. And for me, it’s rarely the best of times.”

“True,” Deryk drawled. “But I’m a selfish, egotistical bastard, and I’ve still been blessed.”

A frown appeared between Bryn’s bronze-colored eyes. “You really think of a mate as a blessing?”

His eyes widened. “You don’t?”

Bryn shrugged. “I’ve managed without one so far. Having observed the effect on Nathaniel, and now you, I see no reason to change that.”

“And when you become dragon and stay that way?”

“Then you and the brothers will have no choice but to kill me. I’m resigned to that fate.”

Deryk had thought a part of him was too until he met Izabella. She had turned his life around in a matter of seconds. Now he wanted to live, to spend the rest of his long life with her. All that mattered to him was Izabella. Her safety. Her happiness.

But there was no describing the depth of those emotions until they were experienced firsthand. Nathaniel had tried when he met Chloe, but Deryk really had no idea how this would feel until it happened to him.

Goddess, he hoped Bryn found his mate. His brother might be a bad-tempered grouch, but he was also loyal and steadfast to his brothers. Deryk loved him; they all did. No way did they want to lose him.

Thinking of their brothers… “Have you spoken to Grigor?”

“He’s already on his way from Alaska. Uh-oh.” His glance moved across the room. “Vlad just came in.”

Deryk turned slowly. He hadn’t really needed to be told Vlad was here. He had felt the frisson of the other man’s energy the moment he entered the room.

Piercing eyes as black as coal were narrowed on him as the other man spoke briefly with his own brothers before crossing to where Deryk and Bryn still stood slightly apart from the Russian dragons.

“Vaughn is recovering,” he bit out economically. “The damage is extensive, and it will take him some hours to heal himself, but luckily, the knife did not succeed in cutting the spinal cord.”

Deryk didn’t particularly care for the way the other man’s gaze remained fixed on him. “I haven’t been anywhere near Vaughn tonight.”

“So I understand.”

Deryk eyed the other dragon warily. “You do?”

Vlad’s nostrils flared. “Izzi has already spoken to me and explained you were with her all evening.”

“What?” Deryk was too surprised to take umbrage at Vlad using that affectionate name for his mate.

The other dragon’s gaze met his coldly. “It would seem you have mated the daughter of my humans without my permission?”

Izabella had told Vlad about their mating? Why had she? Goddess, did that mean she had accepted it? Accepted him as her mate?

Remembering her vehemence earlier, Deryk didn’t think so.

But she had defended him, given him an alibi for this evening, and by doing so had placed herself in a difficult position.