by Spear, Terry
That was a first, and she suspected she’d hear an earful from him later. It shocked her so she wasn’t sure whether she should be thrilled that he’d behaved, or feel at a loss that he wasn’t his usual outspoken self. She believed, owing to the fact that Brett was a prisoner and not her usual sort of guest, her butler had curbed his tongue just this once. But she knew also the peace couldn’t last.
She also knew he had to be worried about the human, most likely because Brett had killed fae before. In fact, she noted everyone looked a little anxious from wringing hands to wringing aprons, to furtive glances in Brett’s direction.
“He won’t kill anyone. He has nowhere else to go. And he would have to deal with me if he causes any trouble.” She said so for his benefit as well as her staff’s.
“I’ve prepared salmon steaks, mistress,” Lila said, looking much more relieved. “If you are ready, I will serve them at once.”
“Yes, do and thanks.” Ena entered the dining hall where portraits of her family, in dragon form flying against a pale blue sky, hung prominently against the gray stone walls.
She noted Brett was studying each of the portraits. She wasn’t sure if he was admiring them, or thinking what a mess he’d gotten himself into. Probably the latter. Unless he was a big fan of dragons—in a purely fantastical way.
She really wasn’t sure what she was going to do with the human. Make him one of her servants, she supposed. She was curious whether he’d turn into a full-fledged fae, and which one, if he did so. And what would happen then.
If he ended up with powers that could beat hers, she might be in for a real fight. Or what if he came from a powerful family and they took issue with her keeping him as her servant? Best to keep him halfway content.
As soon as she took her seat at her favorite spot at the center of the long onyx table, she pulled her high-backed chair covered in soft black velvet underneath the polished black wood. She meant to have Brett seated on the other side of the table across from her to show she was the boss, and she didn’t sit next to the prisoner. But when she heard her brother and his friend, Alton, enter the foyer of her keep, their voices loud and boisterous, designed to irritate her to no end, she quickly motioned to Brett to sit beside her.
She knew she’d have to protect her human and she knew the human was the reason why her brother had made this unexpected visit, when she’d told him in no uncertain terms that he wasn’t to visit unless she invited him. She hadn’t planned to do that anytime soon. If ever.
Not that she didn’t care for her brother. She did. But he had a way of getting on her nerves—a little teasing could go a long way—which meant she preferred non-existent visits.
She had to admit she wouldn’t have minded seeing Alton, if her brother hadn’t been with him. Although she was fairly certain Alton would be just as annoyed about her taking on the task of caring for a human prisoner.
“Well,” Halloran said, walking into the dining room with a bit of a swagger, his black hair longer than hers, which she always thought ironic, his green eyes just as light colored—but that would brighten when he became dragon like hers did.
He was tall, six feet—which made him a more imposing dragon than she was. Males did have that advantage. She didn’t even look in Alton’s direction because she was way too concerned about what her brother was up to.
Halloran’s gaze shifted from her to Brett. “So here is the fae seer who had murdered our kind.” Halloran’s voice was dark and dangerous, and she hoped he didn’t shift right then and there and incinerate her one and only prisoner.
She’d have to shift quickly, and try to defend Brett, and then she’d be highly pissed at her brother for making her do it.
“Are you going to make a nice bonfire out of him on a cold dark night, Ena?” Halloran asked.
She still hadn’t taken her eyes off her brother, wary, watching him for any indication he might shift, but she wanted to see what Alton was doing also. She figured he’d be scowling at both her and the prisoner just as much as her brother was.
She noticed then that Brett sat taller beside her, his eyes narrowed at her brother. She would give the human credit for not being a coward. Halloran could be intimidating. Like now. Even though anyone might stand up to a dragon shifter fae, the posture wouldn’t be enough to keep him or her from being toast, however.
“Aren’t you going to ask us to dinner, dear sister?”
“No. I assumed you had already eaten.” She hadn’t assumed anything of the kind, but she wasn’t about to let him know that. She hadn’t intended to invite him. Certainly not when she knew why he was here.
Halloran pulled out a chair across from her and sat down. She expected Alton to sit next to her brother, but instead, he moved straight for her side of the table. He was wearing his typical human blue jeans, loving the fabric more than any fae material, and she was always amused that he would do so—despite that some ridiculed him for the habit. He was also wearing a T-shirt that said, “Play with fire and you WILL get burned.”
Cute. True, too.
His dark brown hair curled about his ears, a little longer than her hair also. Almost everyone’s was but her butler’s. Alton’s eyes were dark chocolate and narrowed on her prisoner, but when Alton realized she was looking at him and not her brother, his eyes widened a little and a smile curved his mouth in an interested way.
She would have smiled back if it hadn’t been she knew he was not happy about her bringing a prisoner home. And she was certain he’d give her a hard time with it just as she knew her brother would.
She was so surprised when Alton took the chair next to her and pulled it out, she realized her jaw had dropped. She quickly rectified that by snapping her mouth shut. He sat down in the chair and pulled it closer to her. So much so, he brushed her leg with his own. And that he hadn’t done before either.
Instantly, her whole body heated. He hadn’t overtly shown her this much interest ever. Was he bothered that she’d seated the human prisoner beside her?
“We haven’t eaten. Thanks for the invite,” Halloran said, drawing her attention to him. He was watching her and Alton curiously, but he seemed more amused than perturbed by Alton’s actions. Her brother called out to the kitchen, “Lila, bring us two more plates.”
Ena’s butler was standing at the serving table, waiting for her to allow him to serve everyone wine. She nodded, but when Ryker tried to add wine to Brett’s glass, he covered it with his hand and shook his head.
She was still pondering being stuck with her brother and his friend’s arrival and thinking she might as well make the most of it, but she didn’t like this business with Alton just because she had a prisoner guest at the table.
She had a choice. She could either put up with Alton’s pushiness and try to ignore the way his leg was pressed up against hers, making her blood heat—but not in an angry way, she was loathe to admit. Or she could scoot away from him and thereby brush up against the human’s leg. Heaven forbid.
First, she did not want to pretend any interest in the human. Second, knowing the way Alton was, if she moved away from him, he’d adjust his seat again, and move closer once more. Then she’d be hemmed in, her legs brushing up against both boys and nowhere for her to go. Unless she moved to the head of the table.
Then Brett would be more defenseless against both her brother and Alton. She wouldn’t do that to him.
That’s when she noticed Ryker looked puzzled as to what to do with the human who didn’t want any wine.
“Can’t handle it, eh?” Halloran taunted Brett.
She hated to ask Brett what he wanted to drink other than wine. Soda? They didn’t have stuff like that here. Water? Milk? That was about all they had to drink other than wine.
“Get him some water,” Ena said, without bothering to ask Brett. She didn’t want it to appear that she was treating him like he was supposed to be a special guest.
“Maybe someone can pop into the human’s world and pick him up one of thos
e goddess-awful carbonated drinks,” Halloran said. “Water?” He shook his head.
Ena shouldn’t have done it because she had no idea which direction her action would lead to, but she patted Alton’s leg and said, “Alton drinks water. Don’t you? Nothing wrong with it at all.”
Now, Alton could be a hard-scaled dragon-man and shake his head and agree with her brother, or he could try to get on her good side and agree with her.
Halloran turned to Alton, who was now put on the spot. Alton smiled easily. “Water in coffee works, sure. Without it, it’s just all powdered flavoring or coffee grinds.”
Halloran laughed. “I knew there was a reason I liked you.”
Brett took that moment to tell Ryker as he brought him a glass of water, “I’ll take coffee. Thank you.”
Ryker immediately looked for Ena’s input. He was not about to give her prisoner something he’d asked for when she had not okayed it.
“He can have water,” she said, annoyed with Brett for forcing her to take a stand. She knew her brother and Alton were sitting on the edge of their seats, waiting to say something if she had allowed Brett to have his way.
If her brother and Alton hadn’t been here, she would have allowed him to have coffee, or tea, which she belatedly recalled she could have offered also. Or milk. Whatever they readily had available that he would have preferred. But not with her brother and his friend watching her every move, listening to her every decision.
She was about ready to send the human to his room without his supper because this whole business of having him here was way too nerve-wracking. Except if she mentioned it, her brother would realize she had given the prisoner a guest room and was not sending him to the dungeon. Not even her brother knew she hid all her treasure in her dungeon cells. Any dragon shifter worth their treasure would have caves to store their bounty in and a dungeon to store their prisoners in, when they captured one. They were usually the unfortunates who tried to steal from a dragon’s treasure and got caught at it. Although, when she reconsidered the point, those who hadn’t been captured, were usually piles of ash, scattered in the winds often plaguing caves high up in the mountains so she supposed they might be considered even more unfortunate.
She expected Brett to be upset with her, when she shouldn’t care, but she did. He just nodded to her, and then to the butler, as if accepting his fate. Her brother eased back in his chair and said, “Well said.”
Alton kept his mouth shut for which she was grateful.
She sighed, took a sip of her wine, and hoped the meal would be over with quickly, when she’d really looked forward to a nice long enjoyable dining experience, not wanting to think about the older man that she’d had to eliminate.
She really hadn’t wanted to kill the human, wishing he’d given up his quest to manacle her. But she hadn’t had much of a choice either. Either he killed her and Alicia, or she killed him and saved the princess.
She noted Alton was watching her, probably wondering why she wasn’t eating anything.
Ever since last year, he had changed, she thought, again considering the way he was pressing his advantage. He’d been more aggressive in showing his interest in her. He’d taken issue when another male dragon her age had spoken with her, or when she was dragon, flew too close to her. At first, she thought Alton believed he was serving as her brother when he was not around, who would act in the same manner with her—like a protective older brother might behave.
Come to think of it, when Alton had gotten overly close, Halloran had never objected.
Which had her wondering if Halloran and Alton had come to some kind of agreement that Alton wanted Ena for his mate and all other dragons—claws off.
She had every intention of choosing her own dragon mate among the possible suitors—eleven, to be exact. Not that all eleven of the eligible bachelors had any interest in her. One, she believed was hung up on Aideen, which meant little fire in Irish, but she’d overcome her little fire name once she’d turned five. She did have long black locks that some of the male dragon fae preferred, and more of a wickedly sultry look. Ena looked more pixie-like, even though she wasn’t anything like their kind.
One of the male dragons was interested in a dragon fae who was not a shifter, of all things. So she scratched him right off her list.
One shifter wasn’t interested in girls yet. Late bloomer, she believed. But he still had potential. All things considered, she would choose her own prize. Alton might be the one. Or he might not.
“I hear you killed the one fae seer’s father. Good, I say,” Halloran said, forking up another chunk of pink salmon. “But why did you bring this one back with you?” He pointed his speared salmon at Brett.
“He might be a fae,” she said simply. Not feeling she owed her brother an explanation, she gave him one anyway, knowing if she hadn’t, he would keep hounding her until she had given him one.
“Alton is worried for your safety.”
She glanced at him. Was he? He was eating his meal, avoiding looking at her. He probably didn’t care for his brother’s remark. Dragons didn’t worry about other dragons. They could take care of themselves.
“He thinks you want to sleep with the human.”
Ena had just taken another sip of her wine and choked on it.
Alton glowered at her brother. “I know she has better sense than that.”
Thank the goddess for that. But she wondered if the two of them had discussed the matter. She would not have put it past them. And that annoyed her all the more.
“Besides, I’d kill him myself.” Alton gave Brett a heated look that said he would roast him alive if he so much as laid a hand on Ena.
She had not expected this from her brother or Alton. And she had never considered having anything to do with the human other than keeping him alive and making him earn his keep as they all did. Including Ena herself. She knew she shouldn’t say it, but she was used to saying what was on her mind, and she didn’t like that they were telling her what they would do to her prisoner. If they didn’t like what she had to say, so be it. They had started the war!
“I hadn’t considered what to do with him. A love slave? Now there is an idea.”
She thought she heard her butler standing near the serving table groan. He knew she hadn’t been serious—or at least she hoped he knew she hadn’t been.
Her brother’s faced turned scarlet, however. “The king should never have allowed you to bring this human into your home as your prize. I will give you some of my gold—name your price—to take him off your hands.”
His comment made her mouth gape. That was a first! He must have been really worried about her. No way would he ever part with his treasures for something like a human prisoner.
“He is priceless to me,” she said, not willing to sell the prisoner off.
The problem with doing so, though it could uncomplicate her life to a degree, was that she didn’t want to have to tell Princess Alicia she had sold him to her brother, should the princess ask. Nor did she want to treat him as a slave, and selling him would give that impression. Most of all, she didn’t trust what her brother might do to him. Stick him in the dungeon, most likely. Only serve him wine, since the human seemed to have an aversion to it. Torture him for having murdered fae just because they were fae, no other reason. Eliminate him, possibly.
Alton placed his hand on her thigh. She glowered at him, but he did not remove his hand. Before, he’d always teased her mercilessly along with her brother. Now, the way his dark eyes studied her, she saw the interest, but also the warning.
“He is dangerous,” Alton said, his voice rough.
She parted her lips to refute his claim. His heated gaze studied her mouth.
For a moment, she thought he wanted to kiss her. At the dining table. In front of her brother. Cook, who had just entered the dining hall with a tray full of fresh sourdough rolls. And one human prisoner. For one insane moment, she wanted him to. Kiss her.
She quickly looked away
, felt her whole body heat as a quiver of unexpected unease ping-ponged in her stomach. “He won’t harm anyone here,” she assured Alton, unable to meet his gaze. She wasn’t used to this part of the courtship phase—if she had to make up a name for it.
She didn’t want an audience if Alton wished to kiss her.
“He killed the fae seers,” Alton insisted, his tone deadly, his hand tightening on her thigh, his whole body stiffening with rage, his intent—to make her see his way in this.
She removed Alton’s fingers from her leg with a jerk, but he quickly seized her hand and for a moment, she wasn’t sure what had happened. One minute, she was seated at her dining table, and the next minute, inky blackness enveloped her. Then she realized she was at Alton’s keep…now in the gardens.
Red roses bloomed profusely here and she wished she had someone who might turn her plain all-green garden into something as lovely as this.
“What do you think you’re doing?” she snapped, her voice rising.
She didn’t want his servants to hear her, should any be about out here and she just couldn’t see them. She could have just returned to her keep with a flick of her wrist, but his deadly expression made her stay where she was—standing on a red brick path surrounded by roses, the fragrant tea-scent wrapping around her. She stayed, not because she was afraid of him. Because she wasn’t. But she thought he was truly worried about her, and she wished to resolve this right here and now. She didn’t need him and her brother popping in unexpectedly all the time to ensure she was all right.
Before she realized what he was about to do, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her.
She was burning up as he pressed his lips against her mouth, willing her to part them for him. And when she took a steadying breath, he took it as an invitation, his tongue teasing hers. Wicked, delicious, sensuous. His hands cradled her head, kept her from falling back or melting into the brick walk and made her forget about everything.