by Cecilia Lane
But Vera wasn’t about to be deterred. Penelope was poked and prodded until she dressed in the outfit Vera pulled off the rack for her. She sat in the chair while Vera brushed and styled her messy red hair into some sort of order. Finally, Vera deemed her ready to see herself.
Penelope almost gasped when she looked in the mirror. The girl staring back at her was hot. She looked like some rocker princess. Vera picked out a green dress that complimented her dark red hair perfectly. The skirt flared at her waist and hid her problem areas, and her heels made her calves look amazing.
“I’m too big for this.”
Vera glared at her through the mirror. “No more excuses. You’re beautiful. They’re going to think you’re gorgeous. If you don’t get sniffed up a thousand times, I’ll eat my shoes.”
“Mine, too.”
Vera turned her around and shook her shoulders gently. “You’re not to blame for anything that happened, you hear me? You’re a wonderful person who dated assholes. And the men we meet tonight? They love bigger girls. More cushion for the pushin’!”
Penelope giggled and embraced the bit of relaxation it gave her. “Let’s go before I lose my nerve.”
Chapter Two
Penelope took one look of the building and all her insecurities came rushing back. It was one of the new skyscrapers she heard about on the news. The city’s richest and swankiest had relocated to the luxurious condos, while restaurants that served plates more expensive than a month’s rent offered room service to those above and long reservation lists for visitors. Its twin held the businesses of many residents, with glass-walled pedestrian walks crossing between the buildings at impossible heights.
Vera drove into the parking garage built under the buildings. Penelope’s nerves jittered at her when Vera flashed her event invitation and a valet hopped up to park for them. She was not the type of girl to use a valet service, or even go somewhere that had a valet.
Penelope groaned and paused at the door held open by one of the building staff. She nearly tripped over her own feet when Vera grabbed her hand and urged her inside. Again, Penny was served a healthy dose of butterflies.
They were shown to a private floor on the upper level of the building. The elevator opened to rich colors and low lighting. She was certain the open room was the entirety of the building’s space, and every square foot was designed to be fabulous. A dance floor was already packed and the music carried over the rest of the club. Tables and booths were settled in a dark corner near the bar. All around were the glass windows that gave a glorious view of the city lights below.
Scratch that. The butterflies mutated into rampaging bison set on pounding every bit of her confidence into the ground.
“Go get us some drinks. I’m going to go powder my nose and check out the man candy options!” Vera nudged Penny in the direction of the bar before disappearing into the crowd.
Which is how Penny found herself seated alone at the bar and nursing a martini. Even the bar was unfairly spectacular. A waterfall flowed behind all the liquor bottles and changed color with lighting hidden away below.
“You look alone.”
She glanced up at the sexy man who settled next to her, then to her other side. He had to be speaking to someone else, but no one was near. She tried to wish away her nerves, but they only jittered more. “Oh, my friend is here somewhere.”
She took a quick peek at the dance floor and spotted Vera. The woman was sandwiched between two men who could be professional dancers, judging from the cuffs on their wrists and tight pants that looked ready to rip away at any moment. There was no rescue in sight. She’d have to talk to the sexy man at the bar.
She studied him from under her eyelashes. His hair was dark in the low light, but she’d bet her shoes that the color would be black as night even in sunlight. His jaw was strong even under the closely cropped beard that covered his cheeks. And he filled out his clothes to perfection. Every shift in his seat or holding up of his hand to order a drink suggested powerful muscles under the cloth.
He had to be a shifter. Penny licked her lips and wondered what kind of animal he turned into. She put her money on wolf. The predatory gleam in his eye when he looked at her made her feel like a snack waiting to happen.
It should have frightened her, or at the very least made her question what she was doing there. Instead, she wanted to scoot closer to the man and wrap herself all around him.
He swiveled in his chair to turn out to the crowd and she followed his movement. She expected him to take his drink and go, but he barely took his eyes off her after a quick scan of those around them. She caught her breath. It felt almost as if he were glaring a warning for everyone else to stay away.
“These things are so strange to me.”
His silky smooth voice made her start babbling. “Yeah, I get that. My friend made me sign up to come. I mean, it’s not like you’re going to go home and suddenly have the two-point-five children and white picket fence.”
She wanted to kick herself. Sure, he was the sexiest thing she’d ever seen. Yes, she was already nervous. But it didn’t mean she needed to make a fool of herself. She frowned into her martini. Maybe she could blame it on the drink.
“The half child definitely comes from your side of the family.”
Penelope blinked, then saw the quirk to the man’s lips. She laughed and shook her head. “That monster? No way. We have full-bodied children in my family. You’re responsible for the freak.”
“I’ll take care of the two that are mine. They’re set for life. The halfie doesn’t get a dime.”
“Oh, that’s just great. So now you’re abandoning our poor half child. What a great catch you turned out to be. Where’s your sense of duty?” She tried her best to glare and softened it with a little laugh.
“You know, I hate that statistic so much. It sounds like a literal half child. How is it split? Waist and up? Cut down the middle?” He motioned across his own body, slicing the air first across his stomach, then from his head to his waist.
“Hopefully at the waist. They make wheelchairs to help the poor thing get around. There’s no fixing a split straight down the middle.” She shook her head sadly, but couldn’t hide her smile at the ridiculous conversation. It continued to spiral out of control and she didn’t know how much longer she could keep it together without bursting into laughter. The topic combined with the hunk was too much to handle.
“I guess we’ll just have to hide him in the attic. Can’t have that thing around for dinner parties.”
“What a tolerant father. I guess the family should be glad you only want to hide our child away and not completely abandon him.”
“That’s your soft, modern side talking. If we were in Sparta, this problem would have been solved as soon as little Halfie was born.” He sighed. “The good ol’ days.”
She snorted before getting back into her character. “Ah, yes. The good ol’ days of constant war and death. Though maybe you’ll die in battle and I’ll find someone who will take care of all the children equally. Sounds like a step up.”
He flashed her a toothy smile and flexed his arm. “Good try, but I’ll be the one they compose songs about. I’ll be a hero to our great city-state.”
Hero, indeed. She had a hard time taking her eyes off the muscle that flexed under the tight material of his shirt. She had an even harder time not imagining those arms wrapped around her while he pressed his soft lips against her neck and breathed in her ear. She pressed her thighs together to hold back the wave of arousal that threatened to overwhelm her.
Despite what Vera suggested, she was not going to sleep with just anybody.
But he wasn’t just anybody, was he? The little voice in her head urged her on. It was drunk on her laughter and good mood. The man pulled at her heart like no other.
“Oh, do you need another drink? Here, let me get it for you.”
He turned back to the bar and signaled the bartender before she could object. She tried to keep h
er smile to herself. What a delightfully funny and attentive man. She couldn’t believe her luck.
***
Luca couldn’t believe his luck. She was seated alone and didn’t have the smell of a man clinging to her like so many of the other women at the club. He’d seen Carson gladly enter a dark corner with a tall blonde that had a mingled scent to her, but it wasn’t for Luca. He wasn’t about to share, even if he took Carson’s advice to have a little fun while he sought out his mate.
He was glad he hadn’t accepted any of the few offers to find a more private place, because there she was. Alone. And smelling like she was made for him.
His dragon wanted to scoop her into their arms and wing away as quickly as possible. But the human in Luca kept the beast under control. He wouldn’t restart the belief that dragons carried away beautiful women against their will.
She had to be there because of the money involved. That was the impression he got from all the other attendees. They were interested in the thrill of getting close to the paranormal and even more excited about the rich shifters looking for their mates. So many were well dressed and weighed everything that moved with a quick flick of their eyes. He’d dressed down exactly for that reason, and many women passed him up after their initial perusal.
It was no matter to him. He wasn’t interested in the right now when he was busy looking for his permanent match.
Except, she still spoke with him. She didn’t turn away or eye the next man to pass by. Did she know who he was, truly? His development firm did well enough that he’d been asked for a few interviews. Perhaps she was an avid reader to sniff out desirable bachelors.
If she knew, would she continue their strange conversation? He was used to women trying to use him for money. They asked for things without shame. Instead, he was getting her a fresh drink unprompted.
He enjoyed her sense of humor. It was a fresh treat from the stuffy conversations he was used to in the boardrooms he frequented or the sports talk he had with Carson. She was light and breezy and fun.
Outside of her lovely mind, she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. That fact included dragons, who were known to be beautiful specimens. But her dress hugged her curves in a way that made him jealous of the fabric. He wanted to be the one touching her skin instead of the material of her dress.
The green highlighted her pale skin and her richly red hair. His dragon purred and rolled around in his head. It certainly liked that it would match their mate. The deep shade of her hair would go well with the even darker shade of the dragon’s scales.
And when she smiled… His cock twitched in his pants. Her smile lit her eyes and made them absolutely sparkle. He wondered if the green would darken or shine as she panted with needy pleasure.
Luca swallowed hard to get himself back under control. He didn’t want to shake like a leaf when handing her the martini. He’d half accepted she was his mate by the time he turned back to her.
“I apologize if this isn’t something acceptable to ask, but… What are you under all that?” She gestured to his body with her free hand.
“I’m a dragon.”
Her mouth dropped open and he had to lock away the sudden X-rated fantasies that played out in his mind. Her lips were full and soft and made for wrapping around his cock.
“I knew about wolves and bears and big cats. Oh my God. Dragon? Are you serious?” She squealed the last word.
“Guilty as charged.”
“Wow. Dragon. So, are you super rare?”
He nodded and hoped she didn’t sense his uneasiness. Her question drove home the recent loss of his brother. So few dragons still existed that it hurt all of his kind to lose one. He was close with Leo and the hurt ran that much deeper.
“There are only a few hundred of us in the world. There used to be more, but many were killed by dragon slayers.”
“So all those tales of knights rescuing princesses from fire-breathing dragons are true?”
He wasn’t the one meant to rule. Leo had all the charisma and power to hold the dragons together. He’d been so far removed from the court. His visit for the funeral had been the first time in fifty years he’d stepped foot in the mountain lair. How could he rule a bunch of dragons he hardly knew?
Leo was gracious where Luca could be belligerent. When Luca advocated for leniency, Leo pushed for harshness. Luca never seemed to grasp the how and why that came so easily to Leo and his parents. They all shared the same desire to rule and his parents especially expressed their displeasure that the skills seemed to skip Luca entirely.
Their disapproval left a sour taste in his mouth and drove him to better himself outside of their influence. It was freeing to be accountable to himself and not have dragon politics breathing fire down his neck. He relied on himself and proved that he could be a success. His development firm was a testament to that.
Love, too, eluded him. But looking at her made him not feel bad about the past relationships, brief or long. None of those others could hold a candle to this woman’s wit or grace.
Would she accept him as her mate? It would bind her more thoroughly than other shifters, and for much longer. He needed someone who would rule at his side. If she wouldn’t accept, he would be better to leave her now to find someone else.
The responsibility of it all weighed him down. He tried to keep up his end of the conversation, but she noticed. She grew quiet after a few attempts to draw him back out. It pained him to cause his mate such sorrow. He wanted to run a hand through his hair. How would he be able to make her happy?
He glanced at her again. Her brows pulled together and her green eyes were filled with concern. He realized he lapsed into silence and hadn’t answered her question.
His nostrils flared as he caught her scent. The cinnamon rolled around on his senses and filled him with purpose. He never wanted to smell anything else again.
Mate. She was it. She was meant for him.
He eyed her ring. “Take off your jewelry.”
She jerked back. “I’m sorry, what?”
“Your ring. It’s silver. I can’t shake your hand for a proper introduction if you’re wearing silver. Shouldn’t you know to not wear silver to a shifter event?” It was gruffer than he intended and he regretted the words when her concern turned to embarrassment.
“Oh! I’m sorry. I didn’t know.” She twisted and pulled at the ring, but it didn’t want to budge off her finger.
“Never—” He cut off and winced at the sudden blaring of the fire alarm.
The lights turned up to their full power and revealed all the darkened corners occupied by close couples. Many frowned and cursed in frustration. Staff members soon appeared to direct everyone to evacuate out the stairwells.
He caught the scent of the room. The faintest whiff of smoke came from a corner, but it looked only like a burning candle. He wanted to tell the staff to shut off the alarm, that there was no danger, but he had no chance. He grudgingly admitted to himself that something could be wrong somewhere in the building below.
She hopped off her seat and glanced behind for him to follow. She barely reached his shoulder. He tried to keep close to her, but the crowd jostled together and displaced everyone from their pairings. He soon lost her in the crowd. He tried to look for clear spots that would mean people swirling around the short woman, but even that didn’t help track her.
Luca growled in frustration. He was hurried down one set of stairs. The stink of anxiety and other shifters was thick in the air. He couldn’t inhale without catching all their scents. There was no way to sort out the sweetly spicy cinnamon scent he sought.
The stairwell wound down the building, and soon guests of the Fated Hearts Club mingled with the residents of the building and patrons of the attached restaurants. He stalked through the crowd and tried to find her, but there was no sign of the curvy temptress that was to be his mate.
His dragon beat against his walls of control and urged him to take flight. They could scan the crowd from
above and find her that way. It was a tempting thought, but Luca stayed in his human shape. There were rules against shifting in public, designed to keep both shifters and mortals safe. He didn’t want to draw undue attention to the club or his dragon brethren.
Even if it meant letting her slip through his grasp for the time being.
Shit.
He didn’t even get her name.
Chapter Three
The Dragon King and his Consort were formidable rulers. Luca wasn’t concerned with pissing off the most powerful dragons in the world. He was concerned with pissing off his parents.
“Luca, dear, you haven’t spoken to us since you left!”
His mother’s tone sounded like she was sad and a little bit hurt, but Luca knew she really meant to shame him for not communicating.
“You’re next in line to rule, son. You can’t go missing without letting us know what’s going on.”
His father sounded like a patient man, but Luca knew underneath was the stiff spine of a man used to getting his way.
It was not a conversation he wished to have, even less in the middle of his workday. He directed a glare out of the glass walls lining his office and toward his assistant. He tried to remind himself that she was new and didn’t yet know to take messages if any personal calls from family came through, but he still felt the urge to gut the poor girl.
“You know I needed to be back at my business.” He tried to keep his voice light but distracted. Perhaps he could claim an urgent meeting and reschedule the dreaded call when he was safely back in his own lair that night. “Listen, I’ll need to speak with you both later. Something has come up and—”
“And you know you cannot be alone, not when you’re the future of our kind. We have much to discuss. Namely, your mate. You’re looking, I take it?” His mother chose to ignore his excuse.
So much for deflecting.
“Perhaps it would be best if you gave up this business and came home. You’ll have uninterrupted time to learn how to run the court.”