“Yes.” Nikolai’s voice was so deep it gave Darth Vader’s a run for the money.
Well, being raised in the human realm might explain the guy’s complete state of oblivion concerning his past. Lucas squished another insect and focused on the issue at hand. “Excuse me for pointing this out, but aren’t the Liberis, if that is who is after him, Nikolai’s problem? Why are we running away too?” He glanced at Aria. “They won’t take issue with us. They may not even take issue with Nikolai, if he was only defending himself.”
Aria shifted from one foot to the other and refused to meet his eyes.
“I don’t think they will forgive what I have done,” Nikolai stated softly.
“No one can fault you for chasing off Demeti and killing a bunch of his henchmen Dires,” Aria pointed out.
“I did much more than that.” Nikolai’s voice trembled, ever so slightly, and it resonated right through Lucas.
What else had he done? Lucas decided he didn’t want the details. Suffice it to say that he’d trust the big dude about as far as he could throw him.
“You saved us.” Aria now had a desperate note in her voice.
“We don’t have to be part of this,” Lucas stated to Aria. “I vote we find ourselves a gate and get the hell out of here.”
Aria glowered at him. “Nikolai saved your life.”
Lucas crossed his arms as he rubbed bugs off his biceps. He had the sensation of treading upon eggshells, but he was better at subterfuge than diplomacy. The memory of his life being drained away was far too fresh. Even Demeti’s blasts hadn’t done that to him. His mouth opened, and the words spilled out. “Okay. Forgive me for not being grateful, but I suspect he also had something to do with nearly killing me. Am I wrong?”
Nikolai looked away but a few wisps of dark fog swirled around him. “You are not wrong.”
Lucas swallowed.
“He was only defending himself,” Aria repeated. “And it wasn’t just him. Part of that was Demeti, when they fought.”
Lucas scanned, assessing her body language, the tone of her voice—all pointed to her standing with this Bellati dude, instead of against him. His gaze shifted to Nikolai.
“How much of it was you?”
The man met his eyes square on, and ice traveled down Lucas’s spine. Because the irises were almost as black as his own.
“I don’t know,” Nikolai admitted. When Lucas continued to stare at him, he added, “Neither of you have to accompany me. I have already told Aria that those that pursue me, might actually help you.” He gestured to the collar. “I don’t dare try to get those off—they are tied right into your life essences. But the Watchers might be able to.”
“I’m going with him,” Aria was quick to add. Her amber gaze flicked to Lucas, and away.
Why was she so keen to stick with the guy? Lucas kept his focus on Nikolai. “Why are you running from them?”
The broad shoulders shrugged. “My mother was running from them. I was told I should, too. But now—now I think they aren’t very happy with what I have done.”
Bloody hell.Not happy?He could well imagine that the Watchers would be particularly displeased by a male of their species sucking the life essences out of others. Everything he’d ever heard about the Liberis indicated they valued life very highly. Or, at least, the female versions did.
“You don’t have to come if you don’t want to,” Aria pointed out.
Lucas’s mind wrestled with his body, and he did his best to avoid consulting his heart. His brain and body were already at war. Even through his turmoil, her beauty resonated with Lucas. Her red scales covered her from throat to toes, but they hugged her every luscious curve. Just looking at her made him ache.
He gave himself a mental shake. His big brain needed to be running this show, and he had questions. Like, why was she so keen to go with Nikolai?
An even better one was why he even hesitated over this decision? His reckless desire to help Aria had resulted in him being tortured and almost killed. If he hadn’t followed her through the gate, he’d be free and clear now. And likely rich to boot, as the Dires hadn’t stripped the stash bare, only sampled from it. As far as Demeti was concerned, the real prize had been the Dragon shifter. All Lucas would have had to do was lie low until they were gone.
Instead, he’d followed them with some misguided decision to rescue Aria. He’d never been so stupid. And now, here he was again. Teetering on the brink of insanity, all because a redheaded Dragon shifter had a pretty smile.
He must be losing his morphing mind.
It only got worse. Because with his head and body at war, the heart sneaked through when he wasn’t looking.
Someone asked, “So where, exactly, are we going? Or are we just out for a stroll around the swamp?” And he was pretty sure thatsomeonewas him.
