“How did you come here to this place, from uh, Paragon?” His instincts told him she wasn’t lying, but that didn’t mean what she said was real, only that she believed it was.
Her brow knitted and she folded her hands between them. “There was a coup. The government of Paragon was overthrown. My mother, an extremely powerful dragon, knowing that I and my siblings were in danger, used her magic to send us all here to Earth, to hide us.”
“How many of you are there?”
“Eight. I’m the only girl.”
He watched her carefully. Could this be real?
Her lips bent into a nervous smile. “Do you believe me now?”
Nick was a homicide detective in New York. He’d known monsters. Real-life Hannibal Lecters existed in the world. He’d faced them. Seen what they could do. The vampires he’d seen that night were monsters, monsters as evil as the human ones he’d faced. But Rowan… she might be a dragon, whatever that meant, but she wasn’t a monster. She was an angel, a goddess, a woman.
He trailed his fingers along her wing, over her shoulder, to the place where the red scales melded into the muscles of her back. Her eyelids drooped and her head tilted to one side. That must feel good. He massaged the muscles there gently, his arms wrapped around her, her citrus scent filling his lungs.
As a detective, he’d thought he’d seen everything. He’d been wrong.
“Nick, tell me you accept that I’m a dragon?” she implored softly. “I need to know.”
“I hardly think you need anything from me. After tonight, I think it’s clear you can take care of yourself.”
She frowned. “Telling you this makes me vulnerable. Can I trust you to keep my secret, even if you can’t…?”
“Even if I can’t what?”
She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Think of me as you did before you knew what I was.”
Drawing back, he looked at her through his lashes, scanned her from the tips of her wings to her painted toes. She was undeniably different, but somehow having her close felt right.
“Nick? Please. Just say it. Whatever you’re thinking.”
He traced his fingers over her shoulders. So she was a dragon. Everything about her drew him in. Not only the wings but also the way she’d cared for the children of Sunrise House, her invisibility but also her bravery, her speed and also the warmth of her smile. He couldn’t wrap his mind around it all right now, but one thing was for certain, Nick had no intention of letting her go until he figured it out.
“I believe you’re a dragon,” Nick said, his hands circling her rib cage.
Her breath hitched.
“But you must know that I don’t fully understand what your being a dragon means yet. I trust you. You’re extraordinary; I get that. I see that.” He reached again to her wing, petting her along its arc until his fingers hooked in the talon at its crest. It was like holding a bear claw, and he imagined it could be deadly under the right circumstances. He tugged at it gently and was rewarded with the parting of her lips on a pleasured inhale. The slight arch of her back encouraged him. He did it again, his curiosity transforming into deep fascination.
“You’re not afraid?”
He gave her a slow, distinctly male grin, his gunmetal-gray eyes growing stormy in the dim light of the bedroom chandelier. “Oh baby, the fear isn’t half as strong as the excitement.”
She made a sound deep in her throat, almost a purr. Oh, he loved that. He couldn’t remember ever being this captivated by anyone, and holding her awakened a long-forgotten need within him, a wild, possessive instinct, purely male and admittedly foolish. He didn’t analyze it, only accepted it. He lowered his head and brushed his lips against hers. She was close, soft, and warm in his arms. Rowan might be a dragon, but she melted against him in a way his human body understood.
He lowered his mouth toward hers and paused. Was he doing this? Oh hell yes he was. “It’s the end of our date, Rowan. You owe me a kiss.”
She gave a nervous laugh and smiled brightly. “Yes. I do. As promised.” She rose on her tiptoes and touched her lips to his.
He kissed her then, the way a man kisses a woman when he knows she’s actually a hurricane in red lipstick and nail polish. He kissed her thoroughly so there could be no question that he thought of her the same as he had earlier in the day. He kissed her again, deeper, to show her that she was more than he’d ever expected.
A thump came from beyond the bedroom door. Nick tried his best to ignore it and focus on the heaven going on where their lips touched, but Rowan withdrew.
“Did you hear that?”
Internally cursing all manner of man and beast that might have made the offending sound, he looked toward the door. The thump came again. “Yeah, I did.” He reached for his gun. It wasn’t there. “Where’s my weapon?”
She pointed toward the chair next to the bed. “It’s there. I took it off you when I put you in my bed. You won’t need it. Anyone who can get in here is not someone who will be damaged by a bullet.”
He put his shoulder holster on anyway and found his phone underneath it. Fifteen missed messages from Soren. Shit! He fired off a quick text. Safe. Talk later.
The thump came again.
“It sounds like a bird slapping your window.”
Rowan’s face drained of all color. “Nick, stay here.” She moved into the hall.
“Why? What’s going on?”
“Trust me. Stay. Please.”
He watched her disappear down the hall. Nick glanced at the mirror in the bedroom and pulled aside his collar. The vampire bite was completely healed. Vampire bite. Vampires were real. Fuck him. What a damn day.
Vampires were real, and he’d just let Rowan leave to investigate a strange sound. Visions of bats breaking through glass filled his brain. Vampires sinking teeth into that long, graceful neck of hers.
“Sorry, Rowan, but hell no. Not hiding in here,” he said under his breath. He crept out of the bedroom. At the end of the hall, he could see the living room, Rowan’s back, and two french doors beyond her. A white blur passed beyond the glass. Not a bat. Rowan’s head turned, and he ducked into the nearest room to avoid detection.
He found himself in a small library. Or was it an office? There was a mahogany desk, its legs carved to look like winged lions, and a floor globe, all surrounded by shelves and shelves of old books. For a split second, he gaped at the grandeur and beauty of the dark wood, the patina of fine leather, the brass accents on the globe and the leather chair beyond the desk. His eyes trailed over the leather-bound volumes on the shelf and caught on one in particular. Frankenstein.
The click of a lock turning reminded him why he was there. He placed his hand on his gun and peeked into the hall again. To his surprise, Rowan had unlocked and opened the glass doors. The white thing—he could see now it was a large white owl—coasted inside and circled past her. Nick’s brow furrowed. What was she doing? Letting a wild owl into the house was anything but a good idea. Sure, the thing looked like Hedwig from Harry Potter, not anything sinister, but who knew why it was slamming into her window? Maybe it was rabid or otherwise diseased.
He drew in a shallow breath. The owl was… changing. The feathers swelled and pulsed, the small body morphing as it circled twice, growing larger in the firelight. It dropped behind the sofa, out of sight. Nick jolted when a man stood up exactly where the owl had fallen. A naked man.
Nick pinched himself. Yes, he was awake, although he would have loved to believe this was a nightmare. The guy was buck-naked and looked mad as hell. Even from his current position peeking around a doorway from a room up the hall, Nick could sense the menace rolling off the guy in the way his shoulders and back tensed. The owl-man turned a gravely serious expression on Rowan, the firelight casting deep shadows over his face.
“Michael, what are you doing here?” Rowan said through her teeth.
“Well, well, well.” The naked man scanned Rowan, his lips bending into a scowl. “It seems you weren�
��t that hard to find after all. I always knew this place was your favorite.”
Michael… Nick knew that voice. He’d heard it earlier that night. This was Verinetti. He gave the guy a quick once-over. Fuck. This was Rowan’s ex-boyfriend? A shape-shifter with a body like a pro athlete who owned one of the hottest clubs in town and could fly by her window anytime he wanted to? Nick ground his teeth.
“Congratulations, you found me.” She shrugged. “I wasn’t hiding.”
“Do you have any idea what kind of damage you caused tonight?” Michael snapped.
Nick’s fingers tightened around his gun. Nobody should talk to Rowan like that. He didn’t care who or what this guy was.
“This isn’t a good time,” Rowan said. “You need to leave.” She placed her hands on her hips and spread her wings menacingly. A jealous twinge constricted Nick’s chest. He didn’t want a jerk like Verinetti to see her wings.
Michael rolled his eyes and swaggered toward the fire without an ounce of shame over his nakedness as far as Nick could see. The shifter took a deep breath through his nose before speaking. “Have I interrupted your playtime with the human? I saw the two of you dancing together on the security video, and then, later, in the auction house. Nick Grandstaff, detective NYPD.”
Nick’s spine stiffened.
“He has nothing to do with this.”
“Then you won’t mind if I disembowel him for what the two of you did to me tonight. Four vampires injured. The entire coven thinks Wicked Divine is a security risk. Do you have any idea how much money you might have cost me?”
“Might have?”
He turned cold, dark eyes her way. “I was able to contain the problem. All I had to do was promise the coven master the head of the one who did this.”
She growled. “You’re fooling yourself if you think I’m going to let you have my head.”
“Not yours, Rowan. I hid your image on the security feed.”
“What about the detective?”
Michael turned from the fire, shadows dancing across his naked form. “Come now. Even I have limitations. The detective was visible for far longer than you. The coven would have noticed. Besides, he’s the perfect scapegoat. Turn him over to me, I’ll hand him off to the vampires, and all will be forgiven.” His voice was low, soft, and threatening as hell.
“No.” The syllable came out through Rowan’s clenched teeth.
That seemed to surprise Michael. He tucked his chin and raised his eyebrows. “Interesting. You’re protecting the human. Don’t tell me that little dance was a sign of a greater affection.”
Nick’s heart pounded. What would she say? He hoped to God he was more to her than one dance, but he wouldn’t blame her for denying it to this asshole. She hadn’t known Nick long enough for him to expect her to put herself on the line for him.
“The human is mine,” Rowan said with a growl that rattled the walls. “My bonded servant. You cannot have him.”
Nick’s eyebrows shot up so fast it almost hurt. Bonded servant? Hers? He caught himself grinning, then pulled his stupid ego out of the stratosphere. They barely knew each other. He certainly was not hers or her servant. He didn’t belong to anyone. Although he couldn’t deny he’d like to try out being each other’s sometime soon.
“Oh? Look at you, all… protective.” If the way Michael was baring his teeth was any indication, he was not happy with this revelation. “Someone needs to pay for tonight, Rowan. I must return the man to the coven master or there will be hell to pay.”
“Must you?”
“Are you suggesting I lie to the master of the NAVAK coven?”
“You already did for me, didn’t you?”
He looked at his nails. “It’s a huge risk. Vampires can smell a lie. It’s one thing to make sixty seconds of digital video disappear. An entirely different thing to look Malvern in the face and tell him I have no idea who the human is. I do know who he is: his name, address, job, and, as it appears, his lover.” Michael’s gaze raked over her in a way that made Nick’s skin crawl.
“Tell him you’re following up on a lead. That’s true and will buy us time.”
He lowered his chin. “Diversion will only last so long. Malvern is going to expect results. He won’t go away until he has his pound of flesh.”
“I’ll come up with something. But please do this for me now.”
He stepped closer. “Why should I help you?”
“Please… Michael…”
“I’ll do it. I’ll lie for you—”
“Thank you.”
“—if you have skin in the game. I want you by my side next time I meet with Malvern, as my date.”
Nick’s teeth ground together. That fucking slimy bastard. He drew his gun and took a slow, deep breath. Verinetti was dangerous and supernatural. Nick would love to take his head off, but he wasn’t stupid. Galloping in there with guns blazing when he wasn’t sure what he was dealing with was more likely to get everyone killed than help Rowan. He closed his eyes and returned his gun to his holster.
“You would extort a date out of me in exchange for Nick’s life?”
“I’m not requiring you to have sex with me, Rowan, although I wouldn’t mind if that was a natural outcome of being close to me again.” He flashed her a wolfish grin that turned Nick’s stomach. “I’m asking you to appear before the vampire master with me so that he doesn’t suspect you and so that you can help me deflect his interest in this matter. Malvern has a weakness for beautiful women. You’ll be a distraction, one that will hopefully keep him from asking too many questions. If you want to protect your human, you’ll do this.”
Nick cringed when Rowan hugged her stomach and tucked in her wings. She couldn’t seriously be considering it! He wouldn’t allow it. No way would he let her do this to protect him.
“I accept your proposal,” he heard Rowan say. “Tell me where and when and I’ll be there.”
Michael grinned smugly and approached her, reaching for her waist. Nick’s eyes widened. Thankfully, Rowan recoiled from the bastard’s touch. In the blink of an eye, she’d put the sofa between them.
“This is business, not pleasure. That’s over between us, remember?”
Michael swaggered toward the terrace, his smile growing wider. “For now.” He opened the door, shifted into the snowy white owl again, and took off into the night.
Nick watched Rowan lock the door behind the owl, then close the drapes. Her chest rose and fell in rapid pants. By the time she turned around, he was there, pulling her into his arms.
“Start thinking of alternate ideas now, Rowan, because there’s no way in hell I’m letting you go on a date with that guy just to protect me.”
Chapter Sixteen
“You heard that?” Rowan felt wrung out and exhausted. This was the worst-case scenario. Not only did Michael know who Nick was, the vampires were expecting him to turn over his identity. The only reason Verinetti had hesitated was because of her, whether out of some nostalgia for what they used to have, a sense of guilt for suggesting she investigate the auction, or lingering hope that they might pick up where they left off. Rowan didn’t care what Michael’s motivation was. Keeping him from turning over Nick’s identity to the vampires was her only hope of keeping him safe, and she’d do anything to keep him safe.
“You are not going on a date with that guy to protect me. I can protect myself,” Nick gestured toward his gun.
“I told you, the bullets in that weapon are useless against vampires. They’d hardly slow one down.” How could she make him realize he was in grave danger? He was a strong man—a strong human man. That wouldn’t be enough.
“I seemed to do okay tonight at Wicked Divine. As I recall, there were a few vampires on the floor when I left. I broke one’s neck with my bare hands.”
“Yes, you did, and if they were humans, that would be the end. But what you need to know, Nick, is that neither of the vampires you fought are dead or disabled.”
“Huh?”
> “They healed in a matter of minutes. Woke up, stood up, and probably almost drained someone dry to replenish their strength. There are only a handful of ways to kill a vampire, and breaking their spine is not one of them. It might slow them down, but not for long. You could cut them into pieces and they would eventually heal.”
A muscle in Nick’s jaw twitched. “So how do you kill them?”
“That’s hardly the point! The point is you can’t kill them. This is a big, powerful coven. Michael knows who you are. Our only hope is to use magic and manipulation to protect you. That means I need to lay new protective wards around this place to keep supernatural creatures like Michael out. I’ll need to do your place too. Then I’ll ask Harriet to create a charm to hide you. And I will do whatever Michael asks to keep your identity a secret, up until the time the vampires lose interest in you.”
“No.”
“No what? There wasn’t a question in there.”
“Michael is using me as leverage to get closer to you. The guy clearly still has feelings for you, and you’re playing right into his hands.”
“I don’t have a choice!”
“Yes, you do. Teach me to defend myself against these things. I’m tougher than I look. I don’t kill easy.”
“I know you’re tough, but—”
“Rowan…” He hesitated, his gaze shifting away from hers. “If you knew the way I was raised, you wouldn’t underestimate me.”
“Can’t you see this is different?”
He held up one finger, and her stomach tightened under the tension that formed between them. “I am telling you, unequivocally, that I have survived a lot worse than you give me credit for. And if Michael or these vampires expect an easy target, they are in for a rude awakening.”
“I didn’t mean to offend you.” She moved in close and clasped his hands in hers as if her touch might soothe away the hurt and jealous anger she could see brewing behind his gray eyes. “I know you can take care of yourself, but—”
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