by Donna Grant
She didn’t have a chance to reply as the small tour group moved onward. His hand found the small of her back again, and she discovered she had no wish to push him away. His touch was...soothing.
He moved close as their guide took them through secret passages to a large chamber where the Council of Ten met to decide the fate of the Republic as well as the people who crossed them.
It was while they were walking from one secret doorway into another that she found herself inside the inquisition room, where a hangman’s rope still dangled, as if waiting to dispense justice. Sebastian’s arm wound around her, moving her aside as a woman brushed roughly past.
Gianna glared at the woman who didn’t apologize. Then she felt the heat radiating from Sebastian’s chest as she was plastered against him. A slow burn began inside her, one that took her a second to comprehend what it was—desire. She shoved it aside and moved out of his arms.
She half-listened to the rest of the tour since she was focused on every sound, every movement Sebastian made. When he came too near, she hoped he didn’t touch her.
Then she prayed that he would.
When their tour concluded, she was wondering how to end her time with him. She wasn’t sure she could handle any more of the desire that continued to build at a rapid rate.
She walked out of the palace and straight to the balcony overlooking the water. When she turned to tell him she was leaving, he stood mere inches from her. She stood frozen as he reached up and gently smoothed his thumb across her cheekbone.
Her heart thrummed against her ribs as blood pounded in her ears. Topaz eyes watched her intently. She gave a half-hearted attempt to look away, but she succeeded only in blinking.
There was something magnetic about Sebastian, some kind of allure that made him irresistible. She battled an uncontrollable urge to lean into him and allow her passion to flow freely.
He shifted his gaze to his thumb, which he held between them. Her eyes lowered to his lips as she imagined what it might feel like to kiss him. Her blood heated at the thought.
The desire was so strong that she had to tear her eyes from his mouth. She glanced to his thumb, where she saw an eyelash right before the wind swept it away. Unable to help herself, she looked into his face, their gazes tangling.
He leaned forward slowly, and her heart literally tripped over itself. She held her breath, her lids falling shut as he neared.
Then she heard his husky brogue next to her ear. “Doona leave. The day is just getting started.”
Dear God. How could she refuse that sexy voice? Did he know it was a weapon? Because he expertly used it in such a way that she was aching for him.
“Gianna.”
He had to stop talking. She couldn’t take any more.
“Stay,” he urged.
Every argument she had to return home vanished as if they’d never existed. She licked her dry lips and opened her eyes against the bright sunlight just as he was straightening.
He raised a brow in question, and she found herself nodding. She was able to relax when he took a step back, but that didn’t last for long as the crowds forced them to walk so that they were constantly touching in some way.
It was a drain on her senses. Every touch sent her spinning into an abyss of desire, one she fought—or she tried to. If those casual contacts were torture, it was his intentional ones that drove her to the edge of reason. There was always a valid cause for his touch. Her eyelash, a family walking past, or dodging someone.
They meandered slowly through the streets despite the quick pace of others. The world around them vibrated with sound while they remained silent. She glanced at him, taking in his profile. His face was solemn, his eyes held a faraway look. But if she thought his mind was elsewhere, she was proven wrong the next minute when he quickly turned her away from a set of rowdy teenagers.
How did she keep ending up in his arms? It almost felt like it was destiny showing her her path. But Gianna wanted to reject it. She’d proved once before that she needed only her job. She could—and would—do it again. Having a lover was nice, but she didn’t need one.
“It’s a good thing I’m with you,” Sebastian said with a grin. “That’s the second time I’ve saved you from a collision.”
“So it seems.”
A small frown puckered his brow. “What is going on in that mind of yours, Gianna Santini?”
“Why did you ask me to come with you today?” Now that the question was out, she had to know the answer. Because she wasn’t at all sure about the emotions colliding within her. She stepped out of his arms and held his gaze.
His smile remained in place, but his eyes grew shrewd. “I didna want to spend the day alone.”
“Yes, but why me? Why not any of the other women in that bar who didn’t take their eyes off you?”
“Perhaps because you were no’ staring at me.”
She should’ve seen that coming. “So you think I’m playing hard to get?”
“I doona think you’re playing, but that didna have anything to do with why I asked you to join me today. And why you accepted.”
As if she was going to let him say something like that and not see what he meant. “So why did you ask me?”
Before, his responses had been quick. Now he swallowed and let the silence stretch between them. She was beginning to think that she wasn’t going to like his answer, and that disappointed her.
He disappointed her.
“I saw something in you,” he finally said. “You go to that bar and drink alone, never engaging with anyone else. Then you return to your home, only to repeat the same scene again.”
“So you think my life is sad?” Her defenses immediately went up, ready to do battle.
“I think you need something in your life. I know this because I’m missing something in mine.”
She wasn’t prepared for that explanation. In fact, it set her aback. Every time he spoke, she wanted to know more about him. “What are you missing?”
“My friend. My brother. I need to get him back home.”
Chapter Five
Truth was always better than a lie, no matter the basis. It was the reason Sebastian decided to tell Gianna part of the facts.
Her green eyes were inquisitive as she searched his face. When she accepted his response, she gave a small nod. “You’re here for your friend.”
“I am.”
“Is he missing?”
Sebastian briefly looked to the side and the people that moved around and between them. “No’ exactly.”
“What exactly, then?”
He pressed his lips together as he felt constrained by those around him. The more he tried to ignore the mortals, the more he was aware of them. It was a reminder of how they could move freely about, but he couldn’t—not as a dragon.
His human form felt like a cage, a prison that he couldn’t break out of. His vow to protect the mortals was his shackles, keeping him grounded and forever yearning for the sky.
“Come,” he heard her say over the roar in his head.
Her fingers slipped into his as she tugged him after her. After several steps, he found himself looking at their joined hands. He’d been slowly seducing her all day, noticing how she tried to keep distance between them while he maneuvered them into situations that brought them closer together.
And yet, she was the one who took his hand. That simple deed had a profound effect on him. She had seen him upset and reacted without guile or pretense.
It made him very aware that he was intentionally deceiving her. Even though he had a good excuse, it was still wrong. Yet there was no other way. He knew facts about her, but he didn’t know her.
Not that it would make a difference in what he told her of Ulrik or the Dragon Kings. Regardless if she was working with Mikkel or not, Sebastian would leave her with no knowledge that could harm his brethren.
It was something none of the other Kings had been able to accomplish, but he had a plan—a foolproof plan that
would earn him the evidence about Mikkel and keep Gianna unaware of the Dragon Kings.
To his surprise—and pleasure—she took them to a dock and climbed aboard a gondola.
Once she was seated, she looked up at him and rolled her eyes. “Not a word. You looked like you needed some privacy, and I’m giving it to you.”
“We could’ve had privacy at my home.”
At this, she smiled. “This is better.”
He knew for a fact it wasn’t, but he was willing to go for the romantic ride on the famous Venetian boats if she was. Sebastian stepped into the boat and sat beside her.
In no time, they were gliding across the water. He took a deep breath, feeling better now that he was away from the narrow walkways and crowds of people.
“Tell me about your friend,” she pressed.
He turned his head to her. “Why are you so interested?”
“I shouldn’t be, but I am. I know this city. Perhaps I can help.”
That’s exactly what he wanted to hear her say. “It’s no’ without risks.”
“You should see some of the businesses and people I deal with. I can handle it,” she told him. “Why don’t you start by telling me his name?”
“Ulrik.”
“Ulrik what? Does he have a surname?”
Sebastian shrugged. “He changes it, so it doesna matter.”
“That’s going to make finding him difficult.”
“As I said, he’s no’ really missing.”
She folded her hands in her lap. “I think I’m confused. You’re looking for him, but he’s not missing?”
“He had a heated disagreement with our...brother, Con. Words were exchanged, and he was sent away.” It was the basics of the story, but hopefully enough to give Gianna the answers she sought.
“How long ago?”
“Awhile. Things need to be sorted between Ulrik and Con.”
She looked out over the water. “Sometimes it’s better not to force things.”
“They used to be inseparable.”
“What makes you think Ulrik is in Venice?”
“He’s no’.”
Her forehead puckered. “I don’t understand. You said he was missing.”
“He is.”
“But he isn’t in Venice?”
Sebastian shook his head.
She let out a sigh. “But you came here because of Ulrik.”
“I’m looking for a man who could go a long way in sorting out the nastiness between Ulrik and Con.”
“Ah,” she said with a nod. “I see. And do you know who this man is?”
“I have a suspicion.”
“A name?” she asked.
He stretched his legs out in front of him and crossed them at the ankle. “No’ really.”
“Then how do you know he’s in the city?”
“He has dealings in Venice. I’m hoping I catch him here.”
She leaned her head back. “That’s quite a story. Is it true?”
“Aye.”
“Have you thought of hiring a private investigator?”
“Briefly.”
She raised her brows and looked his way. “You’d rather do this on your own?”
“I have to.”
“You seem like that type of man.”
That made him smile. “I’m a type?”
“Yes,” she said with a small laugh.
“What type, exactly?”
She shrugged and looked skyward before she said, “The type who sets off to another country to find a man who could right the wrong done to his friend. The kind of man who saves a stranger and asks her to sightsee with him the next day. The kind of man who sits in a bar with everyone hanging on his every word. The kind of man who doesn’t seem to notice or care about all the women fawning over him.”
“You were no’ hanging on my every word or fawning over me,” he pointed out. To his delight, her cheeks turned pink, a dead giveaway that she had been listening to him at the bar.
“Everyone else was.”
He found he liked when she blushed. It was...endearing. “Where do you get your red hair?”
“My mother’s side. I believe there were some Scots ancestors.”
“Lass,” he said in mock offence. “You have Scots blood and you’ve never visited Scotland? I doona know what to think.”
She laughed, shaking her head at him. “I’ve been busy.”
“But have you been living your own life?”
Her lips parted as she began to answer, then she hesitated. “I thought I was. It wasn’t until just now that I remembered making a list when I was in college of all the places I wanted to visit. I haven’t thought of that list in years.”
“Sometimes it takes someone forcing you out of your daily routine to see what you’ve been missing.”
She cut her eyes to him. “You’re saying I need to get out more?”
“Aye,” he said with a firm nod.
She bit her bottom lip as she let out a deep breath. “I’m in Europe and not taking the opportunity to travel. Rome is not that far. Neither are the Alps. Greece. Nice. Berlin. I do need to make another list and actually start traveling.”
He was enamored with her enthusiasm. The Ice Queen did have passion. It only needed to be brought to the surface. And she needed to be reminded of it.
Sebastian wanted to reach over and take her hand, to pull her against him and place his lips against hers. Not because he was wooing her, but because it seemed like that’s what he should do.
If he didn’t know better, he’d begin to suspect that Gianna was seducing him. An Ice Queen would never do that.
Would she?
She looked at him with her clear, green gaze. “Have you ever forgotten something you once wanted to do?”
He thought back to a time before the war with the mortals, when dragons still filled the skies. He’d been thinking of his own future, his own children, when Ulrik was getting ready to be mated. Sebastian never considered a mortal for his mate because he wanted to continue his family line. He’d always known he wanted kids. As many as he could have.
Though that was never to be.
“I’m sorry.”
Gianna’s soft voice reached him. He slid his gaze to her and found her eyes filled with remorse.
“I made you think of something sad,” she said. “That wasn’t my intention.”
He saw her turning her stud earring and reached up to gently tug her hand away. “The past can no’ be hidden for long. It always shows itself, most times when you least expect it.”
“The past can be buried.”
“No’ for long. Trust me.”
Her head tilted as she studied him. “I look into your eyes and it’s like I’m looking through eternity. It’s as if you see the world differently than the rest of us.”
He almost found himself admitting that he did, but he held his tongue.
“Old eyes,” she said. “That’s what you have. My mother used to say that you could tell a lot about a person from their eyes. I never understood her saying until now. What have you seen?”
“Too much.”
Her fingers brushed against his cheek as she stroked down his face. “You’ve seen death.”
“Aye,” he whispered, drawn to answer in a way he could neither explain nor understand.
“Destruction and the end of...” She blinked, confusion contorting her face. “Something important.”
He put his hand over hers and gently lowered it. “What else do you see?”
“Pain and...hope,” she said with a smile.
Hope? She must have that wrong. The only kernel of hope inside him was finding Mikkel in order to get Ulrik back to Dreagan where he belonged.
He gradually leaned closer, lured to her by an invisible force he couldn’t seem to shake. “I have little hope.”
“You’re an optimist though.”
“Perhaps I’m a realist.”
She shook her head, her lips coming closer. Her ey
es softened, blinking slowly. “If I asked you who you really were, would you answer?”
“You wouldna believe me.”
“But would you tell me?”
It was with regret that he said, “There’s nothing to tell, lass. I’m simply a man.”
“Your eyes say something quite different.”
Even hearing her say that, he couldn’t look away. It was almost as if he wanted her to see the dragon within, to see him in his true form—and accept him.
“Who are you?” she whispered as her eyes closed.
He caressed along her jaw, her head leaning back so he could reach her neck. He was captivated by her plump lips, which were parted and waiting for his kiss.
She had seen a part of him that he kept tightly sealed away, a part that he refused to think about. With one question, she had brought all those old feelings and wishes to the surface. He should be angry, but all he felt was a raging desire that was burning him from the inside out.
He closed the distance between them to kiss her when the gondolier announced the ride was over.
Chapter Six
Gianna walked away from the gondola as if in a dream. Her body felt lethargic, weighed down by the passion that had been steadily and skillfully stroked.
He was there, beside her. His warmth infusing her, his nearness making her burn. The pressure of his splayed hand on her back sent heat rushing through her veins. She wanted to feel him against her skin, to have his weight atop her as their bodies rubbed together.
She couldn’t remember the last time she felt so wanton, so uninhibited.
So...shameless.
What had happened on the gondola ride? She couldn’t help but believe that something had occurred and she’d missed it. As if in their shared conversation, some hidden doorway had been opened and she’d willingly—happily, even—walked through it.
Now, as she stood inside, she was disoriented and unsettled. Anxious and dazed. She wanted to reach out for something to hold onto. It was only then she realized that whatever doorway she’d walked through, she hadn’t gone alone.
Sebastian was there.
She turned her head to look at him. He met her gaze, his clear eyes holding some kind of emotion she couldn’t quite name, but through it she saw the fires of desire as if he were lit from the inside with them.