All of a sudden, he wondered exactly what was going on inside that mind. This human female’s sass was different from any of the females he’d met before.
If he were honest, he might even be enjoying himself right now. “I could just lock you in a room and go myself. Then I wouldn’t have to deal with any of your questions tonight.”
“Ah, yes, but how do you know I can’t pick the lock?”
“It’s a deadbolt.”
She gave a mischievous smile that sent blood straight to his cock. “I could find a way. I’m quite resourceful.”
The picture of Evie standing near the door, her head tilted so her red hair cascaded over her shoulders as she smiled with confidence made his dragon hum. You like her too. Play some more and sleep later.
He knew exactly what kind of “play” his beast was hoping for.
Enough. He didn’t have time to argue with his dragon. For the sake of his clan, his meeting tomorrow with the Scottish dragon-shifter leader, Finlay Stewart, was too important to attend without any sleep. It’d taken him months of convincing Finn to meet him in person for alliance talks against the dragon hunters. He wasn’t about to fuck that up over a female, no matter how enticing she might be.
He walked toward the door, but noticed Evie only had a light coat. He plucked an extra one from the coat hooks near the door, tossed it at her, and said, “Come or stay, it doesn’t matter. I’m getting your things now. If you try to run away, just know that my people are watching you and you won’t get far.”
Without another glance, he walked out the door.
~~~
For a moment, Evie had been enjoying herself. Teasing the dragonman had been a lot more fun than she’d ever imagined.
Then Bram had shuttered his expression, tossing aside the amusement in his eyes. With it gone, she realized how much more attractive he became when he didn’t wear his hardass dragon leader face.
Well, then, she’d just have to work on getting the teasing version of Bram Moore-Llewellyn back again. That version she wouldn’t mind waking up next to for the rest of her life. Or, at least she hoped it would be for the rest of her life. Bram’s half-arsed “maybe my mate” stage bullshit was vague. How she was supposed to convince him to trust her in three days was beyond her. Maybe after a night’s rest she could figure it out.
Putting on the coat Bram had given her, she followed him into the dark.
And by dark, she meant pitch-black. The dragon-shifters had exceptional eyesight. According to her textbooks, while their night vision wasn’t as keen as their sight during the day, they could still make out shapes in the dark. Evie, on the other hand, was all but walking blind with the lack of street lamps. Then the inevitable happened and she tripped.
Before she could mutter, “fuck,” strong arms stopped her from falling. As the large, rough hands maneuvered her upright, she knew it was Bram. Her display of weakness pissed her off. She’d been doing so well with him.
She could barely make out his face, but his husky voice filled her ears. “To save time, I’m going to carry you.”
He put an arm under her knees and swooped her up as if she weighed nothing. She squeaked as her body made contact with his chest. “I am perfectly capable of walking by myself. Put me down right now, Bram.”
Adjusting his grip on her legs and waist, the dragon-shifter held her tighter against his hard, muscled chest. Despite the layers of clothing between them, the contact sent a sizzle through her body, which ended between her legs.
Bram’s voice filled her ears. “No. Why human females feel the need to wear uncomfortable, ridiculous shoes, I’ll never understand. Our land here isn’t designed for those things. Once you change your shoes, you can walk on your own, but not before. You did bring other shoes with you, correct?”
Before she could help herself, she mumbled, “But you’re supposed to like women in heels.”
Bram squeezed her. “Why? They hide your true gait. In your case, it is full of confidence and efficiency. You should embrace it if you want to seduce a dragon-shifter.”
“You’re giving me advice on how to seduce you now?”
She felt him give a half-shrug. “As clan leader, I don’t have a lot of time. Don’t wear the heels and don’t do the fake voice. They hide who you are, which doesn’t convince me to take you as my mate.”
“So no to the sexy heels, and no to the husky voice. Should I wear a trash bag then too, instead of my form-fitting clothes?”
Even in the dark, she could hear the smile in his voice. “A bin bag would be easier to rip off when I wanted you in my bed.”
She rolled her eyes. “Leave it to a man to make a bin bag sexy.”
For a second, Bram remained silent and she wondered if she’d gone too far. In the dark, she felt comfortable and had nearly forgotten she was being carried in the arms of a dragon-shifter, in the middle of dragon-shifter land. If she’d rolled her eyes at Marcus down south, she never would’ve heard the end of it.
But then Bram leaned close to her ear and the heat of his breath caressed her skin. “I’m sure that even if I required you to wear one every night as part of the arrangement of our mating, you’d probably find a way to rebel and wear those bloody awful things that squeeze your body into some unnatural shape beneath it.”
She laughed. “Corsets are very 19th century. Exactly how old are you?”
His tone became more distant. “Old enough.”
Hmph. Dragon-shifters had lifespans similar to humans, so it wasn’t as if she was really insulting him. He couldn’t be more than thirty-five or so. She must’ve touched on a sore spot without even trying. She should drop it, but she added it to her lists of things to find out about Bram.
She frowned. Wait a second, since when had she started a list? It wasn’t like she was really still doing her DDA inspector job. Any information she sent back now would be promptly dismissed as tainted the instant her mating to Bram happened. Well, she hoped the mating would happen. And the dragon-shifter hadn’t even agreed to mate her yet. It would be dangerous if she became too interested in him too soon. She’d just have to be careful.
Bram shifted his hold on her and soon her feet were on the ground. The dragonman opened the door, leaned around her, and flipped on a light. They had arrived at her temporary cottage.
While she might’ve protested earlier, she already missed the heat and safety she’d felt in Bram’s arms. However, she kept her face brave and confident, not wanting to let on that little tidbit or the dragonman might use it against her. She looked up. “I’ll change my shoes and fetch my things. Then you can carry them back instead of me.”
Judging by Bram’s expressionless face, whatever camaraderie they’d shared on the way here had cooled. That bothered her more than she liked.
Rather than focus too long on that fact, she stepped inside the door, kicked off her heels, and went inside the cottage. She had a feeling their walk back would be mostly in silence.
Chapter Two
Bram poured his second cup of black coffee and took a sip. He preferred tea to the nasty black brew, but he needed something to help wake him up and make him more alert for his meeting in thirty minutes with Finn Stewart.
It was all Evie Marshall’s fault. He should’ve been able to nab five hours of sleep, but he’d spent the first two of those imagining her soft, warm body next to his. Or, rather, under his.
And even when he’d finally chased away the sexual fantasies created by both him and his dragon, he’d had a restless three hours of sleep. Evie’s comment about age had brought back memories best forgotten. He very much wanted to get the surliness out of his system with the human female, but she slept like a log and was still asleep. Not even banging on the door had woken her.
So much for the female being on edge because her life was in danger.
His dragon chimed in. She feels safe with us. That is a good sign.
In no mood to argue with his stubborn beast, Bram pushed the dragon to the back of his
mind and went out of the kitchen to his desk. Kai had given the green light for him to borrow Nikki, so he dialed the young dragonwoman. When she answered, he said without preamble, “Nikki, your new assignment starts this morning. You’re to be Evie Marshall’s full-time guard. I need you here in five minutes to get the female up and out of my cottage before Finn Stewart shows up.”
He could hear the confusion in her voice. “Can’t you wake her up while I make my way there? It would make things easier.”
“I tried. Now, hurry up.”
Clicking off his phone, he took another sip of coffee. With Nikki’s assignment out of the way, he only had about twenty-five more things to take care of in the next twenty-eight minutes. Melanie always badgered him about hiring an assistant, but Bram liked the work. However, dealing with Evie’s situation was going to take more time than he’d like and he might just have to find some help.
His dragon decided to poke his head out again. Show her around. Bond with her. She’s brave but still scared.
Deep down, Bram knew that too. If he took her as his mate, her whole life would turn upside down. He knew nothing of her family or friends, and getting them onto his land was a problem. He’d been trying for months to get the okay for Melanie’s parents and brother to visit, but the British government was being cranky and bureaucratic about the law. Humans weren’t supposed to visit, end of story.
Maybe Evie could help us find a way.
His dragon had a point. To placate the beast, he said, Okay, I’ll ask her later. For now, I need to work. Go back to sleep. You need to be alert when Finlay Stewart is here. I need your intuition.
In response, his dragon hummed and faded to the back of his mind.
Right. Now, he could put things into play without any interruptions. If the meeting went well with Finn, he should start having regular teleconference meetings with the other leader within the next month or two to strategize against the dragon hunters. And if so, he needed Arabella to be ready to talk with the other leader about secure communication channels before Finn returned to Scotland.
He’d just finished sending an email to Arabella when there was a knock on the door that had to be Nikki. Not wasting time, he strode to the door and opened it. “She’s upstairs. There’s a pitcher in the kitchen you can fill with water and dump on her to wake her up. Get to it.”
Trained solder that she was, Nikki nodded and went about her task. It was only when he heard a shriek a few minutes later that he knew she’d succeeded.
And he couldn’t help but laugh. What would Evie look like all wet and angry in the morning?
Focus, Bram, focus. Right. Pushing aside his distracting thoughts about a wet, angry Evie, Bram went to work on his list of things to do. His clan came first, no matter how much he wanted to see what Evie looked like right this second.
~~~
Evie had been warm and enjoying a dream about flying on a dragon’s back when a blast of ice hit her face. She shrieked and jumped out of bed. Looking around, she saw a female with a dragon-shifter tattoo peeking out of the sleeve of her shirt. She was short for a dragon-shifter and she had black hair, dark almond eyes, and skin with a yellow undertone. She also had her arm in a sling.
She had no idea who this person was.
Evie growled. “Who the fuck are you and why the bloody hell did you feel the need to dump ice water on a sleeping woman?”
The dragonwoman arched an eyebrow. “My orders are to get you out of bed and out of the house in the next twenty minutes. It’s your own fault you sleep too soundly.”
She frowned. “Orders? Who...” Then it hit her. “Oh no, he bloody well didn’t.”
She moved to pass the dragonwoman, but she moved into Evie’s way. “Yelling at Bram won’t accomplish anything. Lochguard’s clan leader is on his way here and he has a lot on his plate. Don’t bother him.”
“Lochguard? As in the Scottish dragon-shifter clan?”
For a second, the dragonwoman’s brows drew together, and in that instant, she looked pale. “He didn’t tell you?”
Somehow, she had a feeling that telling her clan secrets was a big no-no. Evie would use that to her advantage later. “No. What’s your name?”
“Nikola. I’m your new guard.”
So, she still had a guard. She resisted a sigh as she wiped the water off her face with her sleeve. “Right, Nikola, here’s what we’re going to do. I need to learn the lay of the land here. Did Bram place restrictions on where I could go?” The dragonwoman shook her head and opened her mouth, but Evie cut her off. “You take me where I ask, and I won’t mention your slip-up. Does that sound like a deal?”
Nikola’s face turned fierce. “My orders come from Bram, not you. I always tell him the truth. Blackmailing me won’t work.”
Of course she’d be assigned a loyal guard. Still, she could be of some use. “I admire your spirit, so let’s try another approach. How about you ask Bram if I can go out today to explore since he refused to show me around? Promise me you’ll ask that, and really push for the decision, and I’ll jump into the shower without any more fuss.”
The dragonwoman hesitated, but finally nodded. “Fine. You have ten minutes to shower, so hurry up.”
Nikola left and Evie smiled. Her request might be simple, but she had an ulterior motive. As she moved toward the bathroom, she nabbed her clothes and starting humming. What had begun as a bloody awful way to wake up had turned into a way for her to not only search out the dragon-shifter doctor who could give her the answers she needed to maybe gain Bram’s trust, but she could also get under the bloody dragonman’s skin.
Yes, the dragonman was in for a surprise.
~~~
Bram glanced at the time. If Clan Lochguard’s leader was punctual, Evie had five minutes before the dragonman would arrive.
It was bad enough he’d agreed to Nikki’s request to allow her to show the bloody female around in his stead. Now he ran the risk of Evie and Finn crossing paths, and Bram very much didn’t want that to happen.
Evie probably didn’t know much about Lochguard’s new leader. Finlay Stewart had taken over the Scottish dragon-shifter clan six months ago. Few inside the DDA knew much about him since Lochguard had remained isolated throughout the transition and had postponed any inspections or female sacrifice requests. If Evie had heard the same rumors Bram had heard recently about the new leader having more open-minded views on humans and dragon-human interactions, she might’ve gone to Finn for help instead of Bram.
Yesterday morning, he would’ve sent the female packing while giving her his best wishes. Yet after kissing the female and holding her soft, warm body against his last night, both man and dragon didn’t want Finn anywhere near her. He still didn’t know the lass’s whole truth, but provided she didn’t betray him, he planned to keep her.
His dragon emerged from the back of his mind. Good. Embrace the truth. She is fire, and you like her.
Bram grunted, but before he could converse any more with his inner beast, steps echoed down the stairs and he moved from behind his desk to stand at the bottom. Looking up, his heart skipped a beat.
Evie wore a short jean skirt, brown flat-level boots that went to just below her knees, and a blue sweater the same deep blue of her eyes. The top hugged her figure and dipped low enough to show her small cleavage. Even from here, he could make out the lace shapes of her bra through the material. With the added cold, every male in his clan would be able to see her nipples.
His dragon snarled. Her nipples were not for anyone else to see.
He growled. “You are not going outside dressed like that without me.”
The human arched one dark red eyebrow. “Since I’m auditioning to be your mate and am, in effect, no longer a DDA inspector, I can wear whatever I want. I’m wearing this.”
He ignored the look Nikki was giving him at the news of Evie auditioning to be his mate and moved up the stairs until he was one step below her. Even with the extra step, he was still taller than her. “A
s a former DDA inspector, then you very well know dragon-shifter populations are heavily male. In Stonefire’s case, only about thirty-five percent of our clan is female. Dressing like that will attract nearly every unmated dragonman in Stonefire.”
“The competition might be good for you.”
He resisted a snarl. In normal circumstances, he knew there were a lot of good, single dragonmen in his clan who would make fine mates. Right now, however, they were all enemies.
Gesturing behind him, he said, “You’ll wear one of my big coats and not that tiny thing on your arm. My jacket will also cover up your tempting curves.”
Evie shook her head. “It’s early April, not December. I have a scarf and a jacket. I’ll be warm enough since my legs never really get cold.”
At the mention of her legs, Bram glanced down at the plump, creamy skin on display. He remembered touching that soft skin yesterday right after he’d kissed the human, and he itched to do it again.
With the sight of her skin, combined with her sweet, womanly scent, his cock was coming to life. He was about to reach out and touch her thigh when Evie broke the spell by clearing her throat and saying, “Eyes up here, dragonman.”
Careful to keep his expression guarded, Bram looked up and said, “Your skin and scent are too enticing. Wear the big, heavy jacket or I’ll have you locked away for the day.”
Evie narrowed her eyes. “No. Until you accept me as your mate, you have zero say in what I do. And even then, it’s not guaranteed.”
He leaned until he was an inch from the human’s face. “If you want my help, you should at least try to listen to me. Fighting me at every step of the way is not helping your case.”
“You know what? Fuck you, Bram. You act like you have a claim on me, yet you foist me off on a guard at the first opportunity rather than talk with me. I understand you’re busy, but no one wants to mate a stranger. I won’t ever try to interfere with your work if it’s important, but if you want to fuck me, then you’d better start paying me some attention. Bloody hell, beyond your DDA reputation and your sexy kisses, I know nothing. Do you have family? A former mate? Let alone what plans you have for the clan. Try opening up to me, Bram Moore-Llewellyn, or I’ll chance the dragon hunters and find another clan leader to help me.”
Seducing the Dragon (Stonefire Dragons #2) Page 6