Breathing Fire (Heretic Daughters #1)(70)

Caleb rolled his/my eyes. “We don’t have time for this, Jillian. The Chinese dragons have taken Lynn, and I have a feeling Villi may have gotten his hands on her by now.” His eyes focused very suddenly and intently on a spot directly behind my left shoulder, his hand flying to his back, for a weapon, I assumed.

I didn’t even have time to react before a hand gripped my elbow from behind. Me and Sloan had our guns trained at the man’s head without blinking. The man raised his hands in a non-threatening manner, backing several steps away. But there was nothing non-threatening about a man who could sneak up on me like that. And Sloan, too, for that matter. I studied him.

He was, quite simply, stunning. He was tall and slender, with an unmistakable resemblance to the dragon, Drake. That told me a lot. I could assume right away that he was one of the Chinese dragons, and related to Drake. Drake had been messing with Lynn for days, and must have helped to take her captive. So this guy was a hostile, and I had to assume he was immeasurably dangerous. Almost any other dragon would have the jump on me, since I’d had so little formal training with my dragon powers. His features were even and surreally beautiful. His long black hair hung free and long down his elegant back. Every movement and line of his body was elegant, for that matter.

His violet eyes were pale and stunning. It was hard to look away from them, they were so startlingly beautiful. Was he related to that little girl? Her lovely eyes had been so similar. Could the child have been dragon-kin?

He was giving me an almost amused, but utterly intense stare, like his gaze had a purpose. Was he trying to enthrall me? Could he enthrall me?

“Don’t shoot,” he said, in a softly accented voice, then smirked slightly. It was a crisp accent, as though he’d learned his English in England, rather than America. “Although, I’m not too worried about a few bullets. But I stayed behind to help you, Jillian.”

My eyes narrowed. I gestured at him with my gun. “Who are you, and how do you know my name?”

“All of the dragons know about you and your sister. It is the sole reason we are in this city. We came here to meet with you and negotiate…things. Your relatives have, unfortunately, complicated all of our plans.” His eyes flicked to Sloan, and the amusement bled from his lovely face, replaced by cold disdain. “This strange, perverted preference of yours for druids has complicated things as well. We will have to discuss that, as well, when we have a more formal, less hurried, meeting. Was it only that none of our kind were available to mate with? Is that why you mated with the druid King? You must know that such a thing has lowered your value considerably, though not diminished it completely. I would still take you, for the sake of breeding.”

He was suddenly standing too close to me, and I hadn’t seen him move. Either he was scary fast, or he had me at least partially enthralled. Neither option was sitting well.

“What the f**k are you talking about?” I asked him sharply.

He was at my side, out of my gun’s range now, using my body to block him from the others. I was frozen in place, unable to move. That was my answer. He was trying, and succeeding, at enthralling me.

“You are the only two draak Princesses left, Jillian. Our bloodline is dwindling, from too much inbreeding. We’ve decided to branch out, and you are our only options. You and your sister will be our mates.”

I gave him my best, ‘You’re out of your f**king mind’ look. He was unfazed. “How romantic,” I said, trying to get my limbs to move rather frantically.

He pressed his body against my still frozen body. “You won’t need romance, Jillian. I will give you so much more. You will be a slave to my passions, enthralled for my whims, and you will bear my sons. But not until after I have punished you adequately for your depraved sins with the druid King.” He kissed me then, as though he’d said something romantic.

He tasted…intoxicating. And in spite of myself, my mouth softened for him. I wanted to kiss him back. I felt compelled to. Even as I had the thought, I could move again, and my mouth opened for his onslaught. He didn’t hold back, kissing me as though he would consume me. It took me long, drugging moments to realize that the compulsion had lessened, and I could move. I bit down hard on his tongue. I was satisfied when I tasted blood.

He pulled back, looking smug. “I like spirit. I’ll enjoy taming you. You may call me Tianlong. Remember the name, Jillian. I am far from done with you.”

I spit in his face. It was red with his blood. He still only smiled.

“I can tell you where they’ve taken her.”

“Lynn?” I asked.

“Yes.”

“Tell me.”

“I will tell you. First you must agree to an arrangement.”

“Fuck you.”

His smile widened, growing more heated. “Yes. But a formal meeting first, I think. If you want me to help you, you will agree to meet with me formally to discuss terms.”

“What terms?” I asked suspiciously. I was old enough not to make a deal with the devil without knowing the details.

He stroked my hair. It was a mess, half up in braids, half down and trailing messily. I tried to pull away. “We will discuss them at the meeting. A meeting, that is all I ask. Is a meeting not worth your sister’s life?”

My jaw clenched. “Fine, I agree to a meeting. Tell me where they’ve taken her.”