decisions, there’s something else bothering me.” When Daniel only raised a brow, Luca cleared his throat. “How well do you know the people closest to her?”
Not liking where the conversation was going, Daniel hesitated, his hand wrapped around the hilt of the knife he had been sliding out of its sheath. “It’s been almost a year. The ones I remember checked out. Why?”
Luca’s jaw worked for a long moment, before he finally got the words gritted out. “Because there’s a good possibility one of them tried to have her killed.” As Daniel’s other half leaped to the surface, Luca visibly braced for the hit. “There was too much media attention today, all directed at her. So why now? Why today when every camera and television in the world is watching her? When she was surrounded by more security guards than the president?”
“Someone was sending a message,” Daniel murmured quietly, barely controlling his fury. “They can get to her. Anytime. Anywhere. Only the people closest to her would have had access to her, and her schedule.” When Luca continued to hold his gaze, Daniel nodded once as he got to his feet, slipping the ancient dagger into his boot on his way up. “Get a list of her people, then start running background checks. If they scrub her toilet, I want to know every fucking thing about them. Tell the others to be ready to gear up. We’re leaving as soon as I’m sure she’ll survive the trip.”
Luca stood with him. “What are you going to do?”
Daniel’s jaw set. “I’m going to find out what she knows.”
To his surprise, Luca didn’t immediately jump to do what he was told. Instead, the other dragon cleared his throat. “What about you? You look like dog shit, Ashborne.”
“Fuck off.” Crouching, he reached down into the hidden room. Before he could grab the ladder, a low, violent sound tore out of him. He was stalking toward the bathroom in the next heartbeat. She was left handed. She couldn’t shower if she couldn’t use her good arm.
He didn’t bother to knock. She’d argue with him, and he wasn’t in the mood. “Goddamn it, Shelby, would it kill you to ask for–”
His words cut off as he caught sight of her reflection in the mirror. There were tears streaming down her face. The blanket was discarded at her feet, her tiny body nearly convulsing with tremors as she stared at the ugly wound where the bullet had torn through her porcelain, unmarred skin.
“D-D-Daniel.” When her terrified, stricken gaze lifted to meet his in the mirror, the fury and bloodlust in him to find who had done this to her was almost blinding. “Someone–someone sh-shot me, Daniel.”
6
Daniel was deceptively calm as he stepped into the bathroom and closed the door behind him. He wanted to demand she stop crying and face it like a man, but she wasn’t a man. She was a woman and his mate. He doubted he could demand such things of her. Nor could he point out how many knife wounds, bullet holes and broken bones he’d had in his life, and got through it without tears.
He had one desperate moment when it occurred to him Luca might know how to calm her, but then she let out a strangled sob and turned into his arms, burying her face in his chest. His next thought. Like. Fucking. Hell.
“Daniel.” Her small fists wedged up between them, pushing against his chest. “I can’t breathe.”
He cursed himself when he realized he was crushing her. She watched him with eyes full of tears, expecting something he didn’t understand. No matter how hard he tried, though, he had no idea what she wanted him to do. How the hell was he supposed to make this better for her?
When he didn’t move, she let out a pathetic sniffle. She wiped at her eyes with her good hand, then moved back out of his arms. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.”
“You didn’t,” he snapped. He clenched his jaw, then moved with dizzying speed to lift her and set her on the bathroom vanity, his
Not liking where the conversation was going, Daniel hesitated, his hand wrapped around the hilt of the knife he had been sliding out of its sheath. “It’s been almost a year. The ones I remember checked out. Why?”
Luca’s jaw worked for a long moment, before he finally got the words gritted out. “Because there’s a good possibility one of them tried to have her killed.” As Daniel’s other half leaped to the surface, Luca visibly braced for the hit. “There was too much media attention today, all directed at her. So why now? Why today when every camera and television in the world is watching her? When she was surrounded by more security guards than the president?”
“Someone was sending a message,” Daniel murmured quietly, barely controlling his fury. “They can get to her. Anytime. Anywhere. Only the people closest to her would have had access to her, and her schedule.” When Luca continued to hold his gaze, Daniel nodded once as he got to his feet, slipping the ancient dagger into his boot on his way up. “Get a list of her people, then start running background checks. If they scrub her toilet, I want to know every fucking thing about them. Tell the others to be ready to gear up. We’re leaving as soon as I’m sure she’ll survive the trip.”
Luca stood with him. “What are you going to do?”
Daniel’s jaw set. “I’m going to find out what she knows.”
To his surprise, Luca didn’t immediately jump to do what he was told. Instead, the other dragon cleared his throat. “What about you? You look like dog shit, Ashborne.”
“Fuck off.” Crouching, he reached down into the hidden room. Before he could grab the ladder, a low, violent sound tore out of him. He was stalking toward the bathroom in the next heartbeat. She was left handed. She couldn’t shower if she couldn’t use her good arm.
He didn’t bother to knock. She’d argue with him, and he wasn’t in the mood. “Goddamn it, Shelby, would it kill you to ask for–”
His words cut off as he caught sight of her reflection in the mirror. There were tears streaming down her face. The blanket was discarded at her feet, her tiny body nearly convulsing with tremors as she stared at the ugly wound where the bullet had torn through her porcelain, unmarred skin.
“D-D-Daniel.” When her terrified, stricken gaze lifted to meet his in the mirror, the fury and bloodlust in him to find who had done this to her was almost blinding. “Someone–someone sh-shot me, Daniel.”
6
Daniel was deceptively calm as he stepped into the bathroom and closed the door behind him. He wanted to demand she stop crying and face it like a man, but she wasn’t a man. She was a woman and his mate. He doubted he could demand such things of her. Nor could he point out how many knife wounds, bullet holes and broken bones he’d had in his life, and got through it without tears.
He had one desperate moment when it occurred to him Luca might know how to calm her, but then she let out a strangled sob and turned into his arms, burying her face in his chest. His next thought. Like. Fucking. Hell.
“Daniel.” Her small fists wedged up between them, pushing against his chest. “I can’t breathe.”
He cursed himself when he realized he was crushing her. She watched him with eyes full of tears, expecting something he didn’t understand. No matter how hard he tried, though, he had no idea what she wanted him to do. How the hell was he supposed to make this better for her?
When he didn’t move, she let out a pathetic sniffle. She wiped at her eyes with her good hand, then moved back out of his arms. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.”
“You didn’t,” he snapped. He clenched his jaw, then moved with dizzying speed to lift her and set her on the bathroom vanity, his
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