Heart of the Dragon by Gena Showalter Read Free Book Online Page A

from her, Darius secured the medallion around his own neck, causing it to clang against the other Ra-Dracus. “I have many questions for you, and I expect you to answer every one,” he told her. “If you utter a single untruth, you will regret it. Is that clear?”
    A strangled breath slipped past her lips.
    “Do you understand?” he reiterated.
    Wide-eyed, she nodded slowly.
    “Then we will begin. You told me you want to give the medallion back to your brother. Why? What does he plan to do with it?”
    “I—I don’t know.”
    Did she lie? The angelic cast of her features suggested no untruth had ever passed from her lips. Thinking of her lips brought his gaze to them. They were plump lips. Lips made for a man’s pleasure. He ran his hand down his face, unsure what to believe, but knowing he should not imagine those lips slipping up and down his shaft, her red hair spilling over his thighs.
    “Where did he acquire it?” Darius ground out.
    “I don’t know,” she said hollowly.
    “From who did he acquire it?”
    “His boss.”
    His boss…Darius’s jaw ticked. That meant there were more surface dwellers involved. “How long has the chain been in your possession?”
    She closed her eyes for a moment, silently counting the days. “A little over a week.”
    “Do you know what it is? Or what it does?”
    “It does nothing,” she said, her brow furrowed. “It’s just a necklace. A piece of jewelry.”
    He regarded her intently, studying, gauging. “How, then, did you find the mist?”
    She pushed out a breath. “I don’t know, okay. I was walking around that damn jungle. I was hot and tired and hungry. I discovered an underground spring, stumbled upon the cave and crawled inside.”
    “Did anyone enter the cave with you?”
    “No.”
    “Are you certain?”
    She glared up at him, daring him to do what he would. “Yes, damn it. I’m certain. I was alone out there.”
    “If you have lied…” He allowed his threat to hang in the air unsaid.
    “I told you the truth,” she snapped.
    Had she? He honestly didn’t know. He only knew that he wanted to believe every word she uttered. He was too captivated by her beauty. Too entranced by her scent. He should kill her here and now, finally, but still he couldn’t bring himself to hurt her. Not yet. Not until he’d had time and distance to put her in proper perspective.
    I’m a fool, he thought. Darius grabbed her by the waist and hoisted her over his shoulder. She began kicking immediately, and her nails raked down his back.
    “Put me down, you Neanderthalic bastard!” Her shrieks echoed in his ears. “I answered your questions. You have to let me go.”
    “Perhaps a little time in my chamber will make those answers of yours improve. Surely you can do better than ‘I don’t know.’”
    “Improve? Improve! If I’d given you different answers, I would have been lying.”
    “We shall see.”
    He strode up the cave stairs and into the palace above. She continued to squirm and kick, and he continued to hold her firmly with his arms. He was careful to avoid his men as he carried her to his chamber. Once there, he tossed her atop the velvet covered mattress and tied her flailing arms and legs to the posts. Seeing her splayed on his bed made him sweat and ache. Made him rock-hard. Gods, he couldn’t deal with her now, not when she looked so…eatable. Without another glance in her direction, he turned and strode into the hall. The door closed behind him of its own accord.
    Sooner or later, the woman would have to die…by his own hand.

CHAPTER FOUR
    A LONE IN THE ROOM , Grace tugged and squirmed until she freed her wrists. She untied the knots at her ankles and jerked upright. Alex had tied her up many times when they’d been children, so escaping seemed like child’s play. Besides that, her captor had not tied the knots that tight. As if he’d been afraid to hurt her. She dragged in a shaky breath as her gaze darted throughout the spacious