Finding His Dragon(11)

“Get all the information you can get out of him, and then do whatever the hell you want with the bastard.” Jace set Charlotte on the ground only long enough to shift before he took her in his claws and headed home.





FIVE


Charlotte’s head spun and her stomach rolled. A cold wind gusted all around her in strong, heavy beats, sending her long hair whipping around her face and shoulders. Opening her eyes, all she could see was the massive underbelly of a jet black dragon. She tensed for a half second, but then Jace’s scent permeated her foggy brain. She took a deep breath, then another. She was safe. He wouldn’t hurt her. She didn’t have to know him to know that much. The way he carried her, with one huge claw securing her hips, and the other cradling her neck and shoulders told her as much. Even in dragon form, the man held her as gently as a newborn babe.

“Jace,” she croaked in a husky whisper. Lifting her hand, she stroked his warm chest with the tips of her fingers. “Thank you for coming for me.” She couldn’t raise her voice, but his dragon would hear.

The soft rumble vibrated in his chest, making her smile. Turning her head to the side, she spotted not one, but two dragons keeping pace next to him. Looking to the right, she saw yet another. Jace didn’t seem concerned, so rather than fight the fatigue making her eyelids heavy, she closed them with a sigh and drifted off to sleep.

Charlotte didn’t wake until soft blades of grass tickled at her skin as her black dragon set her on the ground. She tried to sit up, but her spinning head had her lying back just as quickly.

“Stay where you are,” Jace said from right next to her.

When she peered up at him, he was standing there in all his naked glory. If she weren’t in so much pain, she might take more time to admire the view. As it was, her heart sped, and her breaths quickened. Licking her lips, she opened them to speak.

“Don’t,” he said. “Don’t talk. Your jaw is swollen and bruised. I don’t know if it’s broken. Not to mention what they did to your neck. It would be best if you didn’t speak until we can see the extent of the damage.”

With each uttered word, his body became more rigid. His fists clenched at his sides, and his voice became more garbled. He was furious, yet he’d carried her with such tenderness. She shook her head, blinking back tears. It had been so long since anyone had cared about her wellbeing.

“It’s okay,” she whispered, wanting to at least ease some of his worries. “It’s not broken. My throat does hurt, though.” Even swallowing her saliva was like swallowing shards of glass.

Jace took a step back, then another, not taking his eyes off her even as he reached for a bundle at his feet. Shaking it out, he slid into the jeans he’d grabbed, but left them undone before coming back to her. “I’m taking you inside. My clan mates have already gone in.”

“I’d like to walk,” she said.

Before she could sit up, he was there, lifting her into his arms. “Your leg was pinned in the truck. I don’t know the extent of the damage, but the truck was on fire. It’s going to hurt to put pressure on it. Once we get you situated, you can shift and heal.”

The last thing she wanted to do was give his clan any reason to dislike her. She wasn’t weak. She wanted them to know she would be a good mate to their friend. “I’d prefer to meet your clan on my feet,” she said with more strength than she felt.

“I’ve already instructed the men to give us some space, so you aren’t likely to even see anyone. But even if I hadn’t, none of my clan would look down on you for letting me take care of you while you’re injured. It’s what mates do, Charlotte,” he insisted.

Charlotte wanted to argue, but her head pounded. Keeping it upright took more energy than she had to spare. It wouldn’t do to walk in there only to fall flat on her face. She nodded, then let her head rest against his shoulder as he took her inside.

When they had arrived, Charlotte hadn’t looked at the building itself. She imagined it to be a house, much like any other, but one look at the entry hall and she knew it wasn’t. The vaulted ceilings had to be at least three stories up. The room itself was bigger than her entire house back in Morganville. Okay, so she’d lived in what amounted to a shack, but still, the room was huge. Oil paintings hung on the walls. Heavy drapes covered the windows. From the expensive tiles on the floor to the crazy high ceilings, everything was more luxurious than anything she had ever owned.

Before she could comment on how beautiful the entrance was, he was crossing the space, and taking her through a massive set of heavy wooden doors to the right. “I’m taking you to the great room. It’s a bigger space, and you’ll be able to shift and heal.”