Hearts Enchained Page 8

  Sliding forward, Kae wrapped his arms around Jax’s shoulders and straddled his lap. “But you have the other kind of courage too. The kind that allows you to open yourself up to love and risk your heart to another person’s keeping.” Pressing himself close, he brought his lips to Jax’s ear. “That’s what you’re going to have to do for her. And you know you can because you’ve already done it for me.”

  Jax wrapped his arms around Kae so tight it was hard to breathe and Kae did nothing more than hug him back.

  “I trust you,” Jax said. “I just hope she and I can learn to trust each other.”

  “Give it time. We’ll work it out together.”

  Jax sighed, eased his grip and snuggled into the crook of Kae’s shoulder. “You know we’re going to have to kidnap her to get her back here.”

  Kae laughed. “Now you sound like Tengale.”

  “As I recall, you were championing Tengale’s strategy a little earlier.” Jax lifted his head and looked at Kae with laughter in his eyes. It was a look Kae had missed over the last few weeks.

  “How about we sleep on it and come up with a non-dragon plan tomorrow?” Kae asked.

  “Good idea.” Jax wrapped his hand around the back of Kae’s neck and drew him forward. “Because I have plans for you tonight and they don’t involve much talking.”

  Kae parted his lips just as Jax brushed against him in the lightest touch of mouth to mouth. He drew Kae closer licking and nipping at his lips, trailing down to place a line of sucking kisses along his jaw.

  Kae let his head drop back, allowing Jax to position him to best advantage. Jax’s lips brushed his ear, his breath warm and moist. “Tonight you’re mine. I’m going to take you to bed and fuck you until neither of us can walk and then I’ll hold you close and tight while we sleep. It will be a celebration and a promise because tomorrow we’re going to collect our woman.”

  Kae reached between them, clasping their cocks together. “What if she doesn’t want to come back to the den?”

  Jax flexed his hips, tightening the hand he had in Kae’s hair. “Then we’ll resort to Plan Tengale.”

  Kae snorted. “Fuck. If that’s what we have to rely on we’re all in deep shit.”

  “What’s your new favorite saying? We’ll work it out together.”

  “Yes we will. But not before you take me to bed and fuck me ’til I can’t walk.”

  “Ah yes, that would be Plan Jax.”

  As they left the tub and dried off, Kae felt a rush of vindication. It had been too many years since he’d seen Jax’s light, playful side and it was a change he put down to Sorcha. Or at least the possibility of what Sorcha could be for them. He was right to pursue this, he was right to push them both because despite their difficult natures Sorcha and Jax needed each other. Hell, he needed them too. And if he could find a way to bind them together his family would flourish.

  Chapter Eleven

  Sorcha spent her first day of captivity in isolation, the second day she spent exploring the confines of her prison but it wasn’t until the third day that she had a stroke of luck. She was walking along a corridor two floors down from her apartment when she heard the distinctive cadence of an Australian accent. When she’d roomed with Chelsea they’d talked for hours about all kinds of things and those flat Aussie vowels were unmistakable.

  Hurrying through the open door and entering an apartment uninvited, Sorcha came upon four women in robes having afternoon tea together.

  “Is one of you Tansy?” she blurted.

  Four pairs of wary eyes turned her way. “We don’t use our old names here.” That accent was American, so the tousled brunette with piercing blue eyes wasn’t her.

  Sorcha waved her hand. “Fine. Which one of you used to be called Tansy in your old life?” Still nothing. “I’m a friend of Chelsea’s. If one of you is Tansy, you should know we’ve been looking for you for weeks.”

  A tall, athletic woman stood. Her black hair was scraped back in a severe pony-tail, allowing her light-brown eyes to dominate her face.

  “You’re her,” Sorcha breathed. “Chelsea told me all about you. She calls you her sister.”

  “You can’t say things like that here.” There was genuine fear in her eyes and it belatedly occurred to Sorcha that the rooms probably had cameras and microphones in them.

  “Where can I say them then? Where is it safe to talk?”

  “Nowhere.” Tansy walked forward and gripped Sorcha’s hands tight enough to be uncomfortable. “We don’t talk about before, ever, and we don’t talk about what might be outside these walls, ever.” She stepped even closer and lowered her voice. “Especially not where we can be recorded and never in front of Lady Dirondray or Lady Yallek.”

  “Who are they?” Sorcha whispered back.

  “Two of the other women. They’re here by their own choice and they repeat everything they see and hear to their owners.”

  “Okay, I’ll be careful.”

  Tansy turned and led Sorcha farther into the room. “Let’s introduce ourselves.”

  Sorcha knew what the new protocol required of her but she just couldn’t bring herself to let the words pass her lips. Instead she introduced herself with the truth. “My name is Sorcha Meehan. And I was kidnapped and brought here by Medalyn Consbaregh.”

  Tansy winced and took a cautionary step sideways. “I am Lady Willersby. These are my friends Lady Davetscore, Lady Chillsliegh and Lady Edrick.”

  “I’m happy to meet you all,” Sorcha said.

  She sat down, extra china was produced and one of the women poured her a cup of what passed for coffee on Gemarra. They took turns explaining to Sorcha what her new world was going to be like and she thought they were all completely brainwashed, right up until Lady Chillsliegh passed her a note.

  Meet us at the pool at eight tonight. Top floor. Kate.

  Kate. Not Lady Chillsliegh. Sorcha looked into Kate’s open face, met her hazel eyes and offered her first genuine smile in days. Sorcha didn’t say anything but gave a nod of understanding. Hopefully tonight she’d have some answers.

  For the second time in as many months, Jax burst in on a council meeting uninvited. This meeting was in a smaller room and the tables pushed together to form an open square. Predictably, Jax’s presence caused a similar uproar the second time around.

  “Den Commander,” Tollanare shouted, “I will not have you disrupting our meetings whenever the whim takes you.”

  Jax ignored him and kept coming. He didn’t stop until he was right in at the corner of the square, Kae standing firmly at his shoulder. He started his address with a lie. “At the request of Chelsea McMullin we flew to Addestet House today to collect her friend Sorcha Meehan.”

  Then he transitioned into the terrible truth. “We were told Sorcha wasn’t there. In fact nobody has seen her since we brought her back after Chelsea’s wedding.”

  “That’s not quite true.” This from Medalyn Consbaregh. “Sorcha hasn’t been seen since you collected her to attend her friend’s wedding. For all we know she’s still at the den.”

  Kae stiffened at the implied insult. “A woman ostensibly under your care has gone missing and you think she still might be at the den. Why didn’t you send word and ask?”

  Tollanare held up his hand. “If you remember the last meeting you interrupted, it was made quite clear to us by your dragons that we were to leave the women alone. Sorcha was seen going to the den under your escort but nobody saw her return. What were we to think?”

  Jax growled. “You were to think that three days is a long time and perhaps you should check on her welfare.”

  “Are you sure she’s not in the den?” Tollanare asked.

  “Yes, I’m sure.” Jax tried not to grind his teeth. “Ari and Tarkan escorted her back to Addestet House four mornings ago. And even if she had managed to find her way back to the den unescorted, Tengale and Jaysada would be able to sense her presence.”

  Willersby Lochmehdyhn puffed up his paunchy little body.
“You can’t have it both ways, Den Commander. First you accuse us of asserting too much control and now you say we use too little. This Council has a mandate to rule, we are bound by law and charter. You have neither the right nor the authority to come in here and take us to task.”

  Kae edged closer and Jax could feel the rage vibrating in his den-mate’s body. When Kae spoke his voice had the deathly ring of conviction. “If anything happens to her because of your neglect I will make you wish you’d never been born. And after I’ve finished with you I’ll hand you over to Tengale and Jaysada. You’ll be able to experience dragon justice on a level more personal than you can survive.”

  Medalyn Consbaregh stood, in control as usual. The only indication of his anger was the soft flush on his cheeks and the cold stare he used on Kae. “You forget yourself, Enforcer. The Den Commander has some latitude because of his rank but no person or group has the right to intimidate the Council or its members. Threaten us again and both of you will see the inside of a prison.” He waited a beat and drew himself up. “In Allsgate.”

  The moment that threat became real in Jax’s mind his vision blacked. One moment he was standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Kae, angry but holding it together, and the next moment there was nothing but a roaring fury inside him. The possibility of Kae in a Brightstar prison, the mere thought of it, was enough to smash all of Jax’s defenses. He felt himself jump the tables, registered the clutch of fabric in his fists and he felt the jolt when he slammed Medalyn to the floor. But it was as though those sensations were coming to him through a filter. They were muted, blurry and not quite real. The only real thing was the rage screaming inside his mind and the satisfying crunch of fist on bone. Then there was no feeling at all and only the fury remained.

  Jax came to on the floor, his front pressed flat to the cold marble tiles. Cracking his eyes open, he got a sideways view of Kaelum sitting on the floor with his back up against the wall. Jax eased himself up slowly, wincing at the pressure on his damaged hands. They were covered in blood but he sensed most of the blood wasn’t his.

  He held up the offending appendage. “Is he dead?”

  “No, but you beat the hell out of him. They’re going to stabilize him here and then send him to Allsgate for medical treatment.”

  Jax sat cross-legged on the floor, his back to the room and the weight of his lapse pressing down on his shoulders. “I fucked up.” He looked over and Kae and met his gaze. “I’m so sorry.”

  Kae shook his head. “Don’t apologize to me. If you hadn’t taught him a lesson, I would have. That fucker deserved every punch.”

  “Did I hurt you?” It was always his biggest fear. The thought of losing control in a furious rampage was bad enough, but the possibility of hurting his friends rode him hard. The thought of hurting Kae almost drove him to his knees.

  His lover offered him a careless shrug. “I’ve got a couple of bruises but nothing’s broken.”

  Jax nodded. He knew out of all the people in the room Kae was the only one who could have separated Jax from his target and enforced enough calm to help him out of his fugue. “Thanks.”

  “Always.” Kae spread his bent knees and patted the empty space between. “Come here.”

  Jax flicked his eyes to the door. It was shut but if anyone came in they wouldn’t have much time to separate.

  Kae narrowed his eyes. “That wasn’t a fucking request.”

  Too rattled to argue, Jax rolled onto all fours and crawled the short distance to Kae, not stopping until he was hard and tight between Kae’s legs. With protective arms wrapped around his waist, Jax closed his eyes and leaned back, letting the heat and comfort of Kae’s body warm him and smooth his torn edges.

  “That was some display you put on, my brother,” Kae said. “I’m assuming it was the threat of an Allsgate prison that set you off.”

  Jax grunted. “What else would it be? It’s been over ten years since you rescued me from that shithole and I still fight the effects every day.” He heaved a sigh that seemed to come from his very soul. “I get so tired of carrying it around.”

  “I’m sure you do.” Kae slid his hands up, rubbing soothing strokes over Jax’s chest. “But until you find a way to put it down, carrying it is your only option.”

  “Stop it,” Jax said. “Your unfailing cheer and optimism is giving me a toothache.”

  “Cheer and optimism are my stock in trade.” Kae turned his head and nipped at Jax’s ear. “Plus I’m really good at sucking cock.”

  “Bragger.” A smile tugged at Jax’s mouth despite the disaster of the day. Giving Kae’s arms a brief squeeze, Jax got to his feet but when he looked around the room his moment of lightheartedness completely disappeared. “Fuck.”

  Not one table in the room remained intact and all but four chairs were destroyed. Papers littered the floor and several water jugs had smashed and made the whole mess soggy. He turned to Kae. “How do we explain this? How am I going to keep my rank now that the Council has seen firsthand what I become?”

  Kae stepped forward, slipping his hand into Jax’s. “First off, we don’t explain ourselves to anyone. The Enforcers work beside the Council but not for them. Secondly, no one in the den will blink at your behavior once they hear how you were provoked.” Kae leaned close and pressed, lips to lips. “You and I will stand our ground, Jax, and the whole den will stand with us.”

  “I hope you’re right.”

  Jax worked hard to make sure no one knew just how broken he was. He controlled himself with the same iron will that got him through two months of torture. He held himself together by determination alone and the fact that Medalyn Consbaregh had so deftly slipped under his guard was enough to give him nightmares. As if he didn’t have enough of those already.

  “We’re probably going to be in for a rough night tonight,” Jax said, already dreading the long dark hours to come.

  Kae snickered. “Not as rough as Councilor Consbaregh.”

  Jax flexed his swollen hand. “I think I might have broken something.”

  Kae slung an arm around his shoulder. “Perhaps it might be best if we slept with Tengale and Jaysada tonight. Tengale can heal you and we’ll both need a good night’s sleep if we’re going to come up with a plan to find Sorcha.”

  “How are we going to find her? She’s had a three-day start on us.” And then the question he really didn’t want to ask. “What if she ran to get away from us?”

  Wouldn’t that be ironic? Jax finally pulls his shit together and gets on board with Kae’s plan, only to find out he’d left his run too late and Sorcha no longer wanted anything to do with them.

  Kae dropped his arm a moment before he opened the door. “That woman cares about us a lot. She was pissed when she left us but not immune. If we can get her into our den, preferably naked, I’ll have her signed to a mating contract within a week.”

  Jax lowered his voice once they entered the corridor. “You going to orgasm her into submission?”

  “Yep. It worked for you and I don’t see any reason it won’t work for her either.”

  Jax rolled his eyes. “And people accused dragons of being arrogant.”

  “Don’t tell me you’re not imagining all the ways we can make her surrender.”

  Jax didn’t answer, which was in itself admission enough.

  Chapter Twelve

  On reaching the fiftieth floor, Sorcha discovered the communal pool was more like a Roman bath house. The chamber was as big as a baseball diamond, chairs and lounges were scattered about and the entire space was dominated by a square pool tiled entirely in black. The ceramic walls depicted an array of naked bodies in all kinds of sexual positions, not all of them pleasant or comfortable looking. There were vents in the walls but no windows and the roof arched twenty feet above them like a giant inverted bowl. The room was saved from austerity by an abundance of potted greenery. The plants softened the room and screens of shrubs and hanging plants gave it an air of sensual mystery.

  Under diff
erent circumstances—and with different wall art—Sorcha could have fallen in love with this room. Several ornate sculptures served as water fountains and two walls formed a backdrop for a cascading waterfall. Smooth curtains of water fell in rippling waves of motion and sound into the main pool.

  Walking farther into the room, Sorcha spotted Tansy and the other three women from earlier in the day. As soon as Sorcha was close enough, the Aussie woman gave her a stern look and pressed her lips together in warning. Sorcha took that to mean it wasn’t safe to talk yet so she followed the lead of the others and began to disrobe.

  Wearing nothing but nightclothes made it easier to undress and in less than a minute they were naked and heading to the stairs at the edge of the pool. Sorcha kept half an eye on the women and where she was going but she tried to keep most of her focus above head height. It wasn’t the nudity that bothered her so much—well, all right, it did a bit—it was the inherent vulnerability in these women that made her turn away. It was as though their naked bodies were symbolic of something more, something darker and unpleasant that had nothing to do with taking their clothes off to bathe.

  When Lady Edrick turned to walk into the pool, Sorcha glimpsed a line of angry welts and bruises on her back, bottom and thighs. It seemed the Sergeant had paid his mistress a recent visit and the bastard had left his mark.

  Sorcha wasn’t sure what to do or how to express her compassion. The other women were acting like there was nothing wrong and Sorcha figured they knew more than she did, so she followed their lead.

  Making their way to the far side of the pool, they positioned themselves almost underneath the waterfalls. The turbulence of the warm water massaged Sorcha’s body like a spa-jet and her muscles began to relax despite her perilous situation.