“Ugh,” he said. “And Citrine, how am I supposed to fight him if I can’t take dragon form?”
“Don’t fight him,” Citrine said.
“He has history with my mate,” Dante said.
“He shouldn’t attack you. Since he assumes you’re human, he probably won’t want to do anything to reveal himself in front of you.”
“Citrine—”
“And you could handle him.”
“Not if I’m a human I can’t,” Dante retorted.
“Then hurry up and mate the human and get your ring off.”
“No,” Dante said. “I don’t even know how to tell her what I am, let alone mate her.”
He could almost hear Citrine shrug over the phone. “Do what you have to do. All the other dragons did.”
Dante put a hand through his hair. But did all the other dragons have mates who were already afraid? Who were already hesitant and dealing with so much? Not all of them were humans who didn’t know about shifters either. He sighed.
“Anything else I can do for you?” Citrine asked.
Give me my powers back, Dante thought. He wanted the ability to protect his mate. Before, he’d hated the ring because he didn’t want to have to please anyone. Wanted to do whatever he wanted, as he always pretty much had.
But now he just wanted to have all his strength at his disposal in case he needed to protect his mate.
“How else could I get the ring off?” he asked.
“I mean, you could go see Aegis,” Dante said. “But he’s a little caught up with his pregnant mate, and I wouldn’t want to see the emerald dragon when he’s bothered.”
“Hm.” Citrine had a point.
If Cliff was only a cat shifter, maybe he could take him with his bare hands. One thing was for sure; he knew Ella wasn’t ready for him. She needed him to move slow, and that’s what he was going to do, no matter what.
He’d have to find another way to deal with this and keep her out of harm, because he had the feeling her trust had already been violated by men in the past.
So even if mating her would solve some of their problems, he could never force her to move faster than she wanted.
“Fine,” he said. “Thanks for nothing.”
“You’re a dragon,” Citrine said sardonically. “I’m sure you’ll figure something out.”
“Bye,” Adrien said.
“Wait,” Sever said. “How is your mate?”
“Better than I’d ever hoped for,” Dante said honestly.
“Wow. You sound completely different,” Adrien remarked.
Dante thought about it. “I feel different.” And it was true. Before, he’d been all about his appearance, his wealth, his reputation. His power. His ability to make gold appear from thin air and make people do his will with it.
Everyone fawning around him.
But that all paled in comparison to the pleasure of holding his mate. Of even looking at her and knowing she was his.
“Be safe out there,” Sever said in a low voice.
“I will,” Dante said. Hearing his team’s voice made him realize how much he missed them. Yet his world revolved around Ella now. His heart would be wherever she went. “I’ll talk to you later.”
By the time he went upstairs and entered the room, she was asleep, book loose in one hand. She made slight snoring noises, and he smiled as he walked over to pull the covers over her, put her book away, and press a light kiss to her forehead. He couldn’t resist.
Then he changed and got in bed next to her, wondering what he was going to do when they got up the next morning.
Hopefully they could just get through the next couple of days and then get out of town before Cliff tried anything.
Dante wouldn’t allow anything to happen to his mate.
Eleven
“I don’t see why we need a manager,” Adrien said, crossing one leg gingerly over the other and looking at Citrine with bored, silver eyes.
“Because Ella said so and because our business is failing. And if our business fails, then you won’t find mates. And if you don’t find mates, then I’ll never be done with this!” Citrine hissed, nearly spitting.
Adrien wasn’t sure what was wrong with the man. His normally tan, smooth skin looked paler these days, and there were circles under his eyes.
“What if we don’t want mates?” Sever asked dully.
“Especially human ones,” Adrien quipped.
Citrine made a low growl and crackling noises emanated from the desk where his hands were digging into it. If Adrien had to guess, his dragon claws were partially out.
“Don’t breathe fire or anything,” Adrien said lazily. “Calm down.”
Citrine stood, slamming both hands down on the desk with a thud. “How can I calm down when you two scare away every woman that comes within a hundred yards?”
“Exaggeration, Citrine,” Adrien said, liking the way the other dragon got all worked up. There wasn’t much else to do around here.
Citrine let out a long, ragged sigh, trying to calm himself.
“So Dante is going to be okay, even with that stupid ring on?” Adrien asked.
“It’s just a cat shifter,” Citrine said. “All he has to do is get the wedding over with and get home safely before anything happens. Of course, he could always just hurry and win his mate over.”
Adrien put a hand over his face. “Of course you wouldn’t mind that happening more quickly.”
“To put it mildly,” Citrine said, his voice terse.
“Even at the risk of his safety?”
“Dante will be fine,” Sever said. “He’s a certified badass.”
“That’s true,” Adrien said. “Whenever we went to patrol the borders or fight rogues, he was always extra energetic about killing. Very lethal. But he won’t have his dragon form.”
“I imagine he’ll still make do. The man is a monster when he wants to be,” Sever said.
“Good,” Citrine said. “So let’s focus on the matter at hand. Our visitor is arriving any minute, and I want you on your best behavior because we need her help.”
They all looked up as a knock sounded at the door.
Citrine smiled. “And there’s our first candidate for manager now,” he said. “Behave yourselves.”
Adrien stuck out his tongue, knowing it wasn’t dignified, but not particularly caring.
Sever studied his nails, which were short and carefully manicured.
There really wasn’t much to do around here.
Not since those insouciant, coarse metal dragons had recruited them, never mentioning the fact they’d be servants.
Well, not servants. But they were chained nonetheless. And they were nobles. Forced to serve common human wenches. It was an outrage.
Citrine opened the door, and a well-dressed, curvy woman with sharp brown eyes and dark skin looked at all of them blankly.
“What are you staring at, wench,” Adrien snapped.
Her head cocked, her eyes narrowing in on him, and then she threw back her head in laughter.
Adrien narrowed his eyes at her, glancing at Sever and then back at the woman. “She’s out of her mind,” he muttered.
“You’d think I’d have to be, wouldn’t you?” she asked, shoving a paper in Citrine’s chest and striding into the room on high heels as if it were nothing.
She looked around and then walked to Citrine’s desk, sitting behind it.
Citrine made a strangled noise as she leaned back in his chair, propping her feet on his desk.
“I beg your pardon.”
“Yes, you’d better,” she said. “Because I’m only here to save your sorry butts as a favor to Ella. With your reputation, no manager in the world is going to work with you. And the first thing I get when I walk in is a rude retort from one of your employees?” She laughed again, the sound somewhat caustic this time. “Yes, you should beg my pardon.”
Citrine was frozen, staring at her as if she’d grown three heads, and Adrien g
lared from her to his cohorts and back.
All of them were equally shocked, though Sever barely showed it. The shock of finding out his mate long ago was a fraud had pretty much shut him up inside.
Hopefully he’d pull out eventually, but Adrien didn’t have time to think about it now.
Just who did this human think she was, talking to them like that? No human, no female, had ever dared.
“You,” she said. “What makes you think you can talk to people like that?”
“I’d ask you the same thing,” he said. “You called our butts sorry.”
Citrine pulled a chair up next to him and sat with a tired grin. “She called right on that.”
The woman gave Citrine an approving smile. “So. I know you’ve had bad reviews, but they seem to be particularly awful lately. Tell me what’s happening.”
“One of our members is out at a destination wedding,” Citrine said.
“So you do long-term bookings and travel. That would be relevant information, if anyone wanted to hire you at all.” She laughed again, and Adrien twitched irritably.
“Yes,” Citrine said. “We would like to fix that. That’s why you’re here.”
“Right. I’m Robbie Wilson. But you already know that.”
Adrien scoffed.
“Why haven’t you fired this one?” she asked Citrine, who sighed.
“He’s… one of the founding partners.”
“You helped start this thing and you’re renting yourself out?” Robbie asked Adrien curiously.
Adrien just shrugged. He was done talking to this human. He snuck a glance at Citrine and was irritated to see that he seemed mildly amused to have someone else doing his work for him.
“What about you?” she asked Citrine. “If that other member was the glue that kept women from running, why don’t you take his place?”
Citrine’s face went blank, panicked.
“That’s a good point,” Adrien said, sitting up in his chair.
“Are you single?” Robbie asked.
“That’s… that’s beside the point,” Citrine protested. “I don’t—”
“Good,” she said. “We’ll get you on the roster, then. Out on the floor. Also, I’m done with open houses. We’re going to do private screenings, with me there, making sure you can behave. We can’t afford more bad press.”
“I beg your—” Citrine was sputtering, his long hair in disarray around his shoulders.
She put up a finger that was tipped with a long, red, pointed nail. “Ah-ah. I’m boss now. Including over you. You’re a founding member, right? Well, he is, too, and he’s working, so you can.”
Citrine sighed and slumped in his chair. “I suppose… if it just makes this end sooner.”
Her eyes sharpened. “End?”
“No, I mean… gets this company back in working order,” he said.
Good catch, Adrien thought with a grin.
“Fine. Then I’ll be back tomorrow. Your guys’ assignment,” she said, pointing to Adrien and Sever, “is to get this one out on the floor. Deal with that hair, get him clothes, etc. You know how to dress, so I assume you can help him.”
A wide smile spread over Adrien’s face as Citrine protested. “Yes. We can do that. We’ll help him lots.”
“Fine,” she said, walking over to each and shaking their hands in turn.
She was a whirlwind, a force of nature, and the first creature Adrien had ever seen that could ruffle Citrine.
He looked forward to seeing her around more.
“Why did your family suddenly want me in the wedding party?” he asked, suspiciously eyeing the tux that was laid on the backseat of the car while they drove.
“They like you,” she said. “And you beat my dad at pinball this morning. That’s some kind of record.”
“I see,” he said, leaning back with his hands behind his head. “Male competence. A good way to win over fathers.”
She laughed. “You have the weirdest way of saying things sometimes.”
“And you like it,” he said, sticking his tongue out at her.
“How old are you?” she asked.
He blinked at her, golden eyes oddly panicked.
“No, really,” she said, oddly curious now. “How old are you?”
“How old do I look?” he asked.
She thought for a second. “Early thirties?”
He nodded in relief. “Close enough.”
“Want to stop for lunch on the way back? I know a good place.”
“Sure,” he said. It was nice being out and alone with her. He liked her family and all, but when it was just the two of them, he felt most at home.
She pulled up in front of an odd-looking, small shack with a train motif above it.
“Are you sure about this place?” he asked.
“Yes,” she said. “Besides, look, you can eat outside. It’s a gorgeous day.”
He supposed so. He let her choose what to order, then insisted on paying. He’d told Citrine he demanded to take as much human money as he wanted, and if his mate let him, he wanted to pay for her.
His dragon honor demanded it.
He couldn’t wait to get this ring off and his treasure back. Not to mention go back to producing gold with his bare hands, er, claws, again.
“What are you thinking about?” she asked as she brought a tray over to him. He took it from her to carry outside.
He wished badly he could tell her everything. How amazing would it be to just be totally open and tell her every thought he had about being a dragon in this modern world?
But he couldn’t. She barely accepted him as a normal man, let alone a mythical creature.
He reached for a stick-like potato piece and nibbled it as she did the same. “I guess nothing in particular.” He didn’t like lying to her, so he changed the subject. “Are you excited for tomorrow?”
“For the wedding or for it to be over?” she asked.
“Either,” he said.
“Eh,” she said. “I’m excited to get back to work. And I’ve decided I’m going to do better at coming back to visit my family.” She gave him a shy look. “Maybe you could come with me.”
“Oh, so you’re willing to keep me around after we’re done working together,” he said.
She flushed, looking embarrassed. It was hard to see with her tan skin, but he could still tell. “I guess so. I mean, I like to think we’ve become friends.”
“Maybe a little more,” he said, winking as he put another piece of potato in his mouth.
“Maybe a little more,” she admitted with a grin. They enjoyed the quiet spring air for a little while, and then she looked up at him. “I’m realizing I know nothing about you. I guess if we are going to end up getting involved, or whatever, I should know at least a little.”
“All right,” he said reluctantly. “What do you want to know?”
She thought for a second. “I guess we could start with where you grew up. Siblings. Family. Stuff like that.”
“My family is all dead,” he said. “They died a long time ago.” That much was true. He’d been thinking of how to answer specific questions she might ask. Hopefully she wouldn’t stray outside of that.
He looked up to see her staring at him sadly, one hand messing with the curls that were in a loose ponytail over her shoulder.
“I’m sorry to hear that,” she said. “We don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.”
He shrugged. “It’s fine. I mean. It was a long time ago. It almost feels like another life.”
“What was that life like?” she asked. Then she fidgeted as if she weren’t sure that was an appropriate question to ask. “I’m sorry. Look, I’m not used to getting to know people. Like this. Men.” She flushed again, and he grinned. “But I just… You answer what you want to. I really want to know everything I can.”
No, you don’t, he thought wryly.
“Not much to say. I grew up rich. I didn’t have many problems. I had everything
I could want, with only a few responsibilities, which didn’t tax me overly.”
“What did your parents do?”
He blinked. “Wealth management.” Right, that was a good synonym for hoarding treasure. Same thing. “They travelled a lot.” To trade their gold for other treasure. “I was alone a lot. No siblings.”
“So you’re working here now. What happened to your family business?”
He shrugged. “Didn’t have access to it after… the incident.”
“What incident?”
“I was gone, and they… disappeared. We weren’t that close, so I wasn’t that upset by it. I barely knew them, and they had nannies raise me. I’m closer to my friends. But when I came back, I had to start over. A whole different world.”
“Wow,” she said. “And your friends helped you?”
He nodded. “They were all lost in their own ways. So yes, we made the club together.”
“What about that Citrine guy? He works there, but doesn’t?”
“He doesn’t want to,” Dante said. “And what he says goes.”
“He seems like such a mild-mannered person, though,” she said thoughtfully, resting her cheek on her hand and chewing on a fry.
“He can be,” Dante said. But Citrine hadn’t sounded mild-mannered when he’d talked to them on the phone. He’d sounded frazzled and frustrated and in over his head.
Perhaps it would be good that he and Ella would be going back soon. He could help Citrine find the others mates while still wooing Ella at a nice, easy pace.
That sounded great.
“Thanks for telling me more about you,” she said, putting a hand over his. “That all sounds really hard.” When she realized what she’d done, she hesitated, but he gripped her hand in his, rubbing the top of it softly as she lightly shivered.
“It was, but I’m here,” he said, looking into her beautiful brown eyes. “So I’m okay.” For the first time since he’d awakened, he could say that and mean it.
She was looking embarrassed again but pleased. “Eat your burger,” she said. “We still have to go help set up for the rehearsal dinner and then go home and get ready. Lots to do.”
He nodded.
As long as Cliff stayed out of his way and he and Ella had another great day together, he was sure everything would be fine.
Gold (Date-A-Dragon Book 1) Page 10