Dragon Reign: A Paranormal Love Tale

by Pressley James

  His gaze was equally steely. “Guess we’ll just have to wait and see what happens.”

  “Guess so,” Princeton muttered quickly, but it was apparent that his temper had cooled. “Enough with this. We’ve already wasted too much time already. I think that it’s time that you fill me in---on everything.”

  Chapter 13

  “I can’t believe that he just walked out on you like that.” Leslie said with disbelief, facing her across the corner booth at the Java Spot, the next day. “We were so sure that he was one of the good guys. Obviously, selfish bastards come in all packages, even the pretty ones.” Then, confusion laced her tone. “But, what you’re telling me doesn’t make sense. Xander cares about you. I’ve seen the way he looks at you.”

  “No,” she disagreed firmly, nudging the dark glasses higher on her nose. Even now, her eyes were swollen from crying. She raised her chin stubbornly. “I’m not going to hurt myself any further by thinking he does.”

  Quickly averting her face, she blinked back the tears.

  Last night, he hadn’t returned home.

  In the dark hours of her misery, she’d faced harsh reality.

  They’d never be together.

  “I can only imagine how awkward things were this morning,” Leslie sighed. “How did that go?”

  “He didn’t come home last night. After I practically threw myself at him, I can’t say that I blame him. I’d like to think that I do have some dignity. Thank goodness, he doesn’t know that I--”

  “Love him,” Leslie finished for her gently. “Damn it, Nicole. I wish that I could fix this, and shake some sense into the guy.”

  “Well, thankfully, I’ve come to mine,” she said firmly, pursing her lips. “Our associations will be strictly platonic from here on. I’m his client and nothing more. I pray that this thing with Gates wraps up soon. Then, I can go on with my life.”

  She smiled shakily, and then sobered.

  But, her life would be empty without him.

  “Nicole, this is me you’re talking to,” Leslie cut in. “I know you, and this is tearing you apart. You need to take a breather, get away from all of this---away from him. Without a clear head, you can’t make a rational decision about anything. I have a brilliant idea. Come stay with me for awhile.”

  “No. I can’t run away,” she said, shaking her head. “Don’t you get it? I have to stay. If I don’t, I’ll never accept that we don’t have a chance.”

  A brief silence stretched between them.

  “No man will ever make me feel the way that he does,” she began miserably, feeling the fresh tears spring in her eyes. “When he touched me, I felt so real---alive. As brief as our encounter was, it meant everything, and there are no words to describe how incredible it was.” A faraway look crossed her face. “In my entire life, I’ve never experienced such profound feelings. Every part of me is attuned to him, and he has a hold on me that’s unbreakable. It’s scary to have such intense feelings like that for someone else.”

  “I envy you. As many of these lame losers that I’ve bedded, I’ve never experienced what you’re describing. Don’t you get it, Nicole? What the two of you have is special. It only comes around once in a lifetime. Fight for him.”

  “But, I can’t keep doing this to myself,” she whispered helplessly. “How can I keep laying my heart out there, and just let him crush it further?”

  “Would you just listen to me,” Leslie hissed, pushing the coffee mugs aside. “The man wants you. The man loves you. Still, I can’t excuse his behavior. He could have handled things better.”

  “You’re not listening to me,” Nicole said as exasperation filled her voice. “He walked out, he---”

  “Did he say that he didn’t want you?”

  “Well, no,” she said slowly, confused. “But---”

  “And don’t let my next question shock your virginal ears,” Leslie warned. “But, was he into it? I mean, was he aroused? Was that third leg of his---”

  “Ok, enough with your soft porn descriptions. You can stop, now. I get your point,” she interrupted, her face flaming hot. “And to answer your question, yes he was.”

  A tremor coursed through her.

  Even now, his sensual whispers left her shaking.

  She shifted in the booth uncomfortably.

  “But, there’s no point in discussing this any further. Xander and I are finished,” she said, snapping her lips shut. Then, confusion played across her face. “He was adamant that he was all wrong for me, that I deserved better. That I don’t understand.”

  “Well, I do. Now, it makes perfect sense! This is the beginning for the two of you---” Leslie murmured, ending her words abruptly. Now, surprise and curiosity laced her tone. “Oh shit---here your lover boy comes, and who in tha hell is that with him? You didn’t mention anything about Xander’s friends. Damn, whoever he is, he’s fine as hell.” She let out a curse. “Now, I’m going to be too distracted to give your man a verbal beat down that he deserves. But, trust me, I’ll manage somehow. Let me handle this.”

  “Leslie, I’m warning you,” she hissed quickly, nearly capsizing the mugs as she shoved them aside. “Don’t say a word. If you---”

  Her words were cut short as they arrived.

  “Leslie,” Xander said smoothly, and then hesitated. “Nicole.”

  Her mouth opened, but her words were halted as Leslie cut in.

  “What do you want?” Leslie blurted loudly. “After what you’ve done, you have a lot of nerve---”

  “And you have a lot of nerve putting your two cents in where they aren’t needed,” the stranger spoke quietly. “Or wanted.”

  Leslie gasped in surprise, but then clamped her lips shut.

  Uh-oh, she mulled silently, suppressing a smile, had Leslie finally met her match?

  She sensed that her friend was already taken aback by the stranger.

  Her attention swung back to Xander as he spoke.

  “I need to talk to you about something,” he insisted, and his voice held a formal quality to it. “It can’t wait. May we sit down?”

  “Sure,” she nodded stiffly, and was already sliding over closer to the wall. “Have a seat.”

  To her chagrin, Xander slid beside her.

  This wasn’t going to be easy.

  The table wobbled slightly as the stranger sat beside Leslie.

  “Allow me to make formal introductions,” Xander said before sighing heavily. “Ladies, this is my colleague, Prince. And this is Nicole Williamson and her friend Leslie Sumners.”

  “Nice to meet you both,” Prince replied curtly, his large hand engulfing hers easily as he shook it. Then, he exchanged brief pleasantries with Leslie.

  “I’m assuming that it’s okay for me to disclose information?” Xander probed. “If you prefer that we speak more privately about things---”

  “I have nothing to hide from Leslie,” she interrupted, raising her chin. “She’s my best friend, and I trust her with my life.”

  “Very well,” he said, and his own words seemed wooden. “I just want to relay what I’ve learned in these last hours.”

  “Well, stop talking in circles and tell me then,” she said, turning towards him. Still, she found it difficult to ignore their closeness. “What has happened?”

  “This morning, we visited Bryce Institute.”

  “What? How could you do that without consulting me first?” she gasped in shock, and struggled to control her burning anger. “I have a right to know what’s going on.”

  “Just listen. No one is trying to keep you in the dark,” he snapped, and it was obvious that he was equally perturbed. “It’s too dangerous for you to be flitting around carelessly. And Bryce Institute is not a place for you. After what we found, you’ll be glad that you missed it.”

  “What did you learn?” she inquired, noting his deep concern.

  “Mildred Baker was murdered last night,” he quipped tightly. “Apparently, it was a murder-suicide. Her killer was found dead in
the elevator shaft, dangling by cable wires.”

  “No,” she gasped tearfully, turning away.

  “It was a set-up. Gates knows that we’re onto him, and he’s doing everything to make our trail run cold. According to police reports, the killer was Gates’ accomplice, and he was simply carrying out his orders.” Then, he paused. “Things are getting heavy. Gates is a loose cannon which means that he’s bound to slip up, sooner rather than later.”

  “How many more innocent people will die at his hands?” she stammered nervously, facing him again. “Why does he have a vendetta against me? Why does he want me dead? For the life of me, I don’t understand why.”

  “That’s what we wanted to talk to you about.”

  “We?” she said, frowning.

  An uncomfortable silence stretched.

  “Give us a few minutes.”

  Heeding his order quickly, Prince and Leslie left the booth.

  “What’s going on?” she asked, tensing. “What are you not telling me?”

  “We need to talk.”

  “About what?”

  “Nicole,” he began reluctantly. “Effective immediately, Prince will be taking over my bodyguard duties.”

  “Bu-t,” she stammered, fresh tears pooling in her eyes. “You can’t do this to me.”

  Tension filled the empty space.

  Still, he didn’t answer.

  “Tell me why,” she whispered as the pain cut through her. “Are you that eager to get rid of me, that you’d pawn me off to the next available person?”

  “That’s not what this is about. Prince is good at what he does, and he’ll take good care of you. Probably better than I can.”

  “But, I don’t want him,” she admitted shamelessly, sucking in a hard breath. “I want you.” She faced the huge window as she blinked at the tears furiously. Then, she turned towards him again. “Where did you go last night? You didn’t come back home. Do you hate the thought of being around me that much?”

  “No,” he admitted quietly. “I just think that it’s best this way.”

  “Best for whom---you?” she asked as bitterness seeped through her. “I was wrong about you, Xander. You are a coward. Do you think that I’m so fragile that I can’t handle rejection? When you walked out that door---” Her words ended briefly. “When you walked out that door, I had my answer. And maybe you were right. Maybe I did get caught up in my emotions.”

  “I crossed the line. And it was never my intention to hurt you.”

  “Well, it’s too late. You already have.”

  “While I’m not your bodyguard, I’m still investigating the case. You’ll be staying at my place. Prince will set up watch outside the apartment---”

  “You have it all planned out, don’t you?” she said with a humorless laugh. “What gives you the right to call all the shots or decide what I do with my life? I don’t need or want your help. Not anymore.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous!” he exclaimed angrily. “A deranged stalker is after you. Now isn’t the time to be playing petty games.”

  “You’re one to talk. You’ve been playing petty games since we’ve met. This ‘I want you, don’t want you’ game you’re playing is past juvenile. Last night, you wanted me, just as much as I wanted you,” she whispered, placing her hand against his taut thigh, and under her gentle touch, his hard body shook. “But, you’re too much of a coward to admit it.”

  They both tensed.

  “Damn it, Nicole,” he cursed, grabbing her hand, and they both tensed. “We have to get a handle on this before---”

  “What do you want me to do, Xander?” she whispered again, sliding closer to lessen, and now, she was so close the heat radiated from his body and straight to hers. As his hand tightened along hers, her breath caught, but still, she pressed on. “Make this easy for you? Well, I won’t.”

  “Do you remember how you felt?” she pleaded. “How I felt? I remember kissing you. With your lips, you made love to me. I didn’t want you to stop. Even now, I’m trembling. And so are you.”

  “Nicole,” he said roughly, releasing his pent-up breath. “This is not doing either one of us any good. We have to stop this.”

  “Why? Why Xander?” she insisted sharply. “We aren’t children. We’re two adults who are capable of handling a relationship. And last night, you opened my eyes to---”

  “Is it sex you’re after?” he demanded irrationally. “I’m not the man for that---”

  “That’s not true, and you know it! But, I will not pretend that I don’t want you. I do. And I won’t be ashamed of it.” She leaned closer to him. “And I know that you want me, too. Tell me that you don’t.”

  He tensed further.

  Satisfaction ran through her.

  Those words would never come.

  “I’m not what you need. There’s a man out there that’s better suited for you. He can give you things that I---”

  “Stop running away from me---from us!” she demanded tearfully. “Stop pushing me away. I know that you are afraid. You’re not going to hurt me. You can’t. You won’t.”

  “There’s a man out there who deserves you.”

  “I don’t want any other man. I want you.”

  “That’s enough,” he ordered sharply, releasing her hand. “Let’s just drop the discussion, okay? We’re not getting anywhere with it.”

  She slumped against the cushion with defeat, and the coldness sank through her as she accepted his rejection. “It’s painfully obvious that you’re right. Where do we go from here?”

  “Like I said, Prince will be taking over my duties. I will no longer be staying at the apartment.”

  “Where will you be?” she asked, finally resigned.

  “My office suite,” he said, and his words were short and clipped. “I’ve already picked up a few of my things, so you don’t have to worry about me running into me at the apartment.”

  She nodded her head stiffly. “Ok. Very well.”

  “If you need me---”

  “No, I don’t want or need anything else from you,” she said calmly, cutting him off. “I think that we’ve said all that we need to say to each other. I suppose this is goodbye.”

  A tense second stretched between them.

  Finally, he spoke again. “I suppose it is,” he agreed with reluctance. “And don’t worry about Prince, you’re in good hands. If there are any other developments, I’ll let you know.”

  The cold air brushed against her as he left the booth.

  She fought her tears back.

  If she thought she’d hurt before, she was dead wrong.

  ***

  “Is he even human?” Leslie whispered conspiratorially, hours later, as they huddled on the sofa with an overflowing bowl of cheddar cheese popcorn. “I swear, he hasn’t like moved in a half-hour.”

  “And you haven’t heard a word that I’ve said in like the last half-hour,” she chided teasingly, shoving in another mouthful of popcorn. “Somebody’s got a crush.”

  “Would you just stop it? He’ll hear you,” Leslie shushed her. “The man is a complete mystery. I mean, who actually calls themselves Prince? And I can’t think of any prince that’s stacked like that. I mean, look at him: over six towering feet of hard biceps, six-pack abs, and thighs that’d probably send you straight to heaven. Can you believe me? I have to stop this. But, I can’t help it! He’s getting me all hot and bothered.”

  “Just don’t make a complete idiot of yourself like I did,” she warned her, and now, the cheddar popcorn now flavorless in her mouth. “At least have some of your dignity intact.”

  Again, he’d walked away without a backwards glance.

  And it was time for her to just face reality.

  “Stop beating yourself up,” Leslie said, pulling the bowl from her grasp. “There’s no crime in telling the man how you feel. Take my word for it. Xander isn’t as immune to you as he’d like to pretend.”

  “I’m not going down that road again.” She released her p
ent-up sigh. “I just have to accept that music is the only thing that I have in my life. Let’s talk about something else, okay.”

  “I’ll drop it---for now,” Leslie responded quietly. “Didn’t you have an appointment with Dr. Peters again today? How’d it go?”

  “He’s adamant that my sight will be fully restored,” she admitted, not wanting to seem too eager. “My surgery is scheduled for next week.”

  “Nicole, that’s great!” Leslie exclaimed while hugging her.

  “I know. But, I don’t want to get my hopes up,” she said, pulling away. “I’ve been down this road before, and I don’t want to be---”

  “You won’t be disappointed,” Prince spoke firmly, shocking them both.

  Had he actually heard their conversation from his stance at the doorway?

  And had he actually finished her sentence for her?

  Perhaps he was a mind reader or not human at all.

  His heavy footsteps treaded across the floor as he headed towards them.

  Leslie tensed alongside her.

  She held back her smile.

  Maybe it was time that she played matchmaker.

  “How rude of me---have a seat. Popcorn? I’ll tell you now that it’s loaded with butter and cheddar cheese,” she warned gently, and then plucked the bowl from Leslie’s shaky hands. “You haven’t eaten anything all day. When we were out earlier, you declined lunch, and you’ve skipped dinner. At least eat this, please. You’re making me feel guilty shoving all this food in like a pig.”

  “Don’t be,” he declined politely, settling his huge form in the arm chair. “I’m fine. I ate something a short while ago.”

  “When?” Leslie asked snappishly. Still, her friend couldn’t disguise her intrigue. “You’ve been standing there like a statue since I’ve gotten here. Are you pushing steroids or something? You’re too well-endowed to be on that strict of a diet.”

  “Well-endowed?” Prince asked with a hint of confusion. “And that means what?”