Burned by Darkness - Alexandra Ivy Page 0,22

his massive head. “She no there.”

“Impossible,” Craven snapped. “The spell was triggered.”

“She no there,” Skragg repeated.

Trolls. Fluent in zero languages.

He turned to study his lieutenant who was shivering in the crisp morning air despite his long leather jacket. His fey blood preferred warm weather.

“Reece?” he demanded.

“Our incoherent friend is right,” the fairy said, his expression hard with frustration. “The imp had disappeared by the time we reached her house.”

Craven muttered a foul curse. He’d waited twenty years to get his hands on the imp and these two idiots had walked away just because she wasn’t in the first place they searched?

“Why the fuck didn’t you follow her trail?” he snapped.

“She left through a portal,” Reece said. “It was impossible to track her.”

Well, damn.

“Do you believe she will return?”

The younger male shrugged. “I suspect the house is her current lair.”

“Then you will keep a watch on the place until she returns,” he instantly commanded.

It was a waste of Reece’s considerable talents to be stuck on a mindless stakeout, especially since they didn’t have a clue where the female had gone or when she would return.

But there was no way in hell he was going to risk losing the opportunity to get his hands on a dragon hoard.

Surprisingly, Reece grimaced. “That might be difficult.”

“Why?”

“She doesn’t live alone.”

“Another imp?”

“No, a gargoyle.”

Craven blinked. He’d heard of the gargoyles, of course. But like any demon with a functioning brain, he did everything in his power to avoid them.

“What interest does the Guild have in the female?”

Reece gave a lift of his hands. “Impossible to say. There was also the smell of a dragon in the house.”

“Dammit.” Annoyance transformed into fear. Surely fate wouldn’t be so cruel as to dangle the treasure in front of his eyes and then snatch it away at the last second? “Does he have the female?”

“No Synge,” the troll grunted. “Baine.”

“Baine?” Craven gave a frustrated shake of his head. “What the hell is he bleating about?”

“Skragg claims that Synge is the dragon who first owned the imp, and that Baine is his son,” Reece explained.

Craven scowled. Like that was supposed to be better?

“Are they be working together?”

Skragg made a slashing motion with his hand. “No like.”

Craven shook his head. He might have troll blood, but he’d spent the majority of his life trying to kill the bastards, not communicate with them.

It was Reece who once again translated.

“Skragg is convinced that the father and son aren’t exactly friendly,” the fairy said.

“So he intends to use the imp to betray his father?”

Reece shrugged. “Or to barter for a portion of his treasure.”

Craven abruptly slammed his fist against the heavy wooden bannister, indifferent to the dust that drifted down from the open-beamed ceiling.

“We need to find her,” he snarled.

Reece gave a sharp laugh. “If I could open a portal into a dragon’s lair we wouldn’t need the imp.”

“Then we have to find a way to lure the dragon out of his lair,” Craven announced, his tone warning he wasn’t going to tolerate failure. “I want that imp and nothing is going to stop me.”

CHAPTER SIX

Baine carried the sleeping Tayla into a room at the side of the cottage and settled her in the middle of the bed. Then, tugging the quilt over her slender body, he simply stood there and studied her delicate features.

There was no reason to linger.

She was in a place where she could be protected. And it would be several hours before she would waken so she could offer him the pleasure he’d waited so long to enjoy.

It was clearly an irrational waste of time to watch as her silky golden hair spread over the pillows. And her lush lips parted as she released a small sigh.

But even as he urged his feet to carry him out of the cottage¸ he found himself unable to resist the desire to simply savor the sight of her lying in his bed.

How many nights had he fantasized about this moment?

More than he wanted to admit.

A raw jolt of satisfaction raced through him.

She was where she belonged.

At last.

He remained standing beside the bed for several more minutes before he at last forced himself to head out of the cottage so he could open a portal to his lair. Standing at the entrance, he called for Char to join him.

It took less than five minutes for the younger male to step out of the portal and glance around his surroundings with a lift of his brows.

“This is…” His lips twitched as he glanced toward the small