She tried the oatmeal and sighed in relief when it was basic but good. “It’s great.”
“You should be flattered I used a recipe.”
“I am,” she said. “It’s delicious.” She tried the muffins. “So are these.”
“I’m glad,” he said, straightening a bit in his chair and looking more pleased than he wanted to let on. What had made him so sensitive to even the slightest praise?
She focused on the food, and they ate in mostly silence, letting the awkwardness of the previous night fade away. When the food was gone and Nic was clearing it away, he asked what she wanted to do that day.
“I’m going to do some job hunting,” she said. “Get in contact with the hospital and see if I can get my job back. Then I’ll need to do the application, which will take a while. Do you have stuff to do?”
He shrugged. “I can watch TV. It’s still good research.”
“Okay,” she said. “But I tell you what. We’ll go out tonight, to celebrate things being back to normal. Mostly.”
He frowned. “Are you sure it’s safe?”
“It should be,” she said. “I mean, if this is going to be my life again, I need to be living it. Making sure the things I used to love are everything I remembered them to be.”
“And if they aren’t?” he asked, cocking his head.
“Then I have to rethink things.”
“Okay,” he said, shoving his hands in his pockets and leaning against the sink. “Then I’ll clean up here and let you get to it. If you need me, I’ll be around.”
“Oh, wait,” she said. “Do you have a phone? I mean, I assume you do, even though you’re a dragon.”
He nodded sharply. “Do you want the number?”
“It makes things easier, you know, if I can text you if I need something.”
He quickly handed her his phone, and when their hands brushed for a split second, she felt an almost magnetic shock go through her, making her jerk back.
He eyed her carefully, but she just took his phone and used it to text herself so they would have each other’s number.
“There you go,” she said, handing it back.
“Okay,” he said, looking at the screen as if perplexed by it.
Oh gosh, he was adorable. Was that a ridiculous thing to say about such a big man who was also half dragon? She had no idea.
Today, with daylight around them and the knowledge that he’d held her, helped her, everything just felt so much more… awkward. There was a tension there that hadn’t existed before, and she wasn’t sure how to deal with it. Her legs felt… weak.
“Um, well, I’m going to get to work, then,” she said quickly. Then she turned on her heel and got out of there before things could get any weirder between her and her handsome, mysterious “guest.”
Arsenic tried to keep busy while Farrah was working, but daydreams about her being his mate kept intruding. A different kind of life, where they spent the day together like one of those human couples on TV, kept floating through his mind.
Eating meals together, laughing over their normal days (even if as a dragon assassin, his day would probably anything but normal), and then settling in together and watching a movie, maybe even doing that thing Cadmium and Lead did with their mates.
Cuddling.
Like he’d done with Farrah last night, only with less crying.
Not that he’d trade what happened the other night for anything. Seeing her vulnerable, having her trust him was everything. It had started all these fluffy fantasies, which made him feel incredibly stupid as a usually dark and dangerous dragon.
So he was trying to keep himself busy. First, he cleaned the kitchen, then cleaned it again, checking for any missed crumbs.
Then he went outside and walked the perimeter of her land, making sure there was no sign of intruders.
Then he went back to watching TV, but every show seemed to remind him of wanting to be around Farrah, and he couldn’t afford to be a lovesick dragon for a woman he’d been told couldn’t be his. Especially one who insisted she wanted to forget him.
So outside he went again. He was on his third walk around the boundaries of the land when he looked up to see someone coming down the walk.
He scented the air, relaxing slightly when he recognized the being was human. The being was also male, though, which didn’t make Arsenic trust him. Arsenic narrowed his eyes as he realized the human was headed for Farrah’s walk, most likely. His hands tightened into fists. As much as he wanted to throw a dagger at the man, stopping him in his tracks, he knew he was here to protect Farrah, nothing more.
He didn’t have any right to interfere in her regular human life, which she was just trying to adjust to again.
So he quickly cloaked himself and walked back to the house, hoping he hadn’t been seen by the human. He would let Farrah answer the door and wait behind her in the living room in case she needed assistance.
He would not act on the raging jealousy inside him.
He would not.
He was an assassin. A cold, calculating machine who uncloaked as soon as he was back in the house, letting out a sigh of relief.
He pulled out his phone, wondering if this was the right time to text her, or if he should just wait.
Before he’d figured it out, the doorbell rang, and a slight wave of anger rushed through him. He walked to the kitchen and sat down in a chair, hunched, with arms folded.
He perked as he heard Farrah’s footsteps coming down the stairs, and a new possibility lent itself to his imagination.
What if the man coming to the door was a friend of hers or, even worse, involved?
Arsenic shook his head harshly. The oracle had made it clear. Hands off. She wasn’t a shifter’s mate. She was for humans.
But was that because it was what Farrah had asked or because the oracle knew something he didn’t?
And what if the oracle was wrong in this case? She hadn’t given the other dragons permission either, and they’d found their mates. Maybe he could change Farrah’s mind…
No, that’s not what he was there for. He was there to protect her and nothing more. He’d always been honorable. He’d always focused on the mission and never gotten distracted before.
So why was it so hard right now?
The door opened, and he peeked out of the kitchen to watch the interaction.
The man had brown hair streaked with blond, and Arsenic couldn’t make out the color of his eyes behind glasses.
He seemed harmless enough, but Arsenic had learned appearances could be deceiving.
“Oh my gosh, you’re really back,” the man said, rubbing the back of his neck. “We all… We were freaking out. We didn’t know if you were visiting family, or…”
“I’m fine,” she said sharply, a shortness in her voice that suggested impatience to end the conversation, which made Arsenic smile.
Clearly, this was no friend.
“Now, if you don’t mind, Ben, I’m working, and—”
“Wait,” Ben said, and Arsenic’s eyes went wide as he saw the door open farther, Ben pushing it open, wedging his foot inside.
Arsenic was trying to decide whether to shove the intruding appendage in Ben’s ass or mouth when he saw Farrah give Ben a shove.
“Hey,” she said. “I told you before I’m not interested in being more than neighbors.”
“I thought we had a good dinner, though,” he said. “What kind of girl doesn’t put out after a date?” Ben’s hands were reaching for Farrah, and Arsenic decided he’d had it with trying to hold back.
“The kind of girl who has a male already,” Arsenic said, appearing at the door. He yanked it open so Ben stumbled, not into Farrah, but into Arsenic’s hard chest. Ben looked up in shock, glasses askew, and Arsenic gave him the full fury of a glare that surely held the threat of death.
Ben stumbled back so fast he tripped and hit his butt, falling down the stairs.
“Wait,” Farrah asked. “You don’t have to—�
�
“Bitch,” Ben said, brushing off his butt as he stood, glaring at them. “Leading me on and—”
Arsenic let out a growl and started out the door but found it slammed quickly in his face. He turned, startled, and glared at Farrah, who was looking at him expectantly with folded arms.
“Just what are you doing?”
“Protecting you,” he said, baffled.
“From Ben? He’s a wimp.”
“No one gets to talk about you like that,” Arsenic said, running both hands through his hair, frustrated.
She smirked. “I didn’t know your job description included defending my honor.”
“Defending your everything,” he blurted out. Though, to be honest, he wasn’t sure anymore where the boundaries between his job and his feelings were.
He didn’t know how to control himself now that he thought she was his mate. Any harm coming to her was untenable. Any threat, no matter how small, had to be eradicated.
And even if she was going to forget him, in the meantime, he was damn well going to make sure she was safe.
“What was he talking about?” Arsenic asked. “How do you know him?”
Farrah walked into the kitchen to get a glass of water, ignoring Arsenic’s question while she drank it. Then she let out a sigh, setting the glass aside. “Not that it’s any of your business, but he’s a neighbor. He’d been asking me out for a long time, and I finally went out with him, but there was no spark.”
“Spark?” Arsenic asked. “Isn’t that a bad thing? Sparks cause fires.”
She laughed, a beautiful sound like twinkling icicles, and gave him a bright smile. “You’re so funny sometimes.” Her pretty hair was pulled back behind some kind of U-shaped device over her head, and her face looked radiant and beautiful as usual. Her blue eyes seemed even more emphasized, as if she’d done something to make them standout.
How was he supposed to focus on his mission when she was just so pretty?
She flushed. “I don’t know what you’re thinking when you look at me like that. Sometimes you’re so readable, but not now.”
Good.
“I just… I’m sorry if I overstepped.” Not sorry.
“It’s okay,” she said, resting her hands on the counter behind her and leaning her slim figure against it. She let out a relaxed breath. “Anyway. I applied for my old job again, so that’s good. One more step toward normalcy.”
He tried to ignore the lump that had suddenly formed in his throat at the thought of her having her life back. A life that wouldn’t involve him.
Dammit, he’d seen the other dragons fall like fools for their mates, so quickly it didn’t seem possible. Now that he was on the other side of it, he understood why. The force pulling a dragon toward a mate was something impossible to understand unless experiencing it.
The need to always be around her was so stifling he could barely breathe if he focused on it.
So he didn’t.
“Anyway, he shouldn’t be back,” she said. She gave him an appraising glance. “Are you okay? You’ve been acting weird today, I think. Did I freak you out last night?”
He shook his head abruptly. “No. Of course not.” You made me fall for you last night.
She cocked her head, looking impish. “I wish I could read your mind sometimes.”
“Why does it matter?” he asked, tucking his hair behind one ear. “You’re going to forget me anyway.”
With that, he decided to disappear into the spare room she’d showed him yesterday (after Christmas tree shopping) that had a pull-out bed for when he didn’t feel like staying on the couch.
He needed time alone. To remember who he was. He was a dangerous assassin. It was the only thing that made anyone see him as worthwhile, the only thing that made him more than the pile of trash he’d been born as.
Deep down, he knew exactly who he was and why he could never have Farrah, no matter how much his broken dragon thought he should mate her.
He was just piece of scrap that had somehow been formed into a functional tool. Meant to protect, nothing more.
Daydreams and fantasies weren’t meant for dragons like him.
Chapter 11
Farrah saw Arsenic go into his usual armed guard mode the second they entered the small, intimate restaurant where she’d taken him for dinner.
She wanted to treat him to something delicious because he did seem to really appreciate food, even if he struggled to create it. The thought of his cooking earlier that morning had given her more than one smile throughout the day as she’d gotten work done.
Things had gone better than she’d even expected with her boss. He’d agreed, eagerly, to have her back in her old position and told her to fill out the application as quickly as possible so he could bring her in for an interview. A formality, he’d assured her. As soon as she wished, the job was hers.
What was odd was that she hadn’t been as excited as she thought she would be about it. Wasn’t this what she wanted? Her old life back? Wasn’t it what she’d dreamed about while held in that tower? Thoughts of home, of life, had comforted her as she left her body to escape the painful experiments and humiliating experiences.
But it wasn’t what she thought, and she found she was enjoying this moment with Arsenic, watching him look suspiciously around the restaurant as the hostess led them to a table.
The hostess was beautiful, with waist-length black hair that probably made every male in the area look agog at her, drooling.
Not Arsenic, however, who was probably still considering who, if anyone, in the immediate vicinity deserved a dagger in the chest.
She snorted at the idea as the hostess stopped in front of an intimate little booth in the corner with a small candle lit in the middle of it, sitting in a glass container.
The woman set menus in front of them, then gave Arsenic, who was still glaring around, a curious shrug and left them to decide on their orders.
Farrah reached across the table, about to touch his hand and get his attention, when he snapped his gaze to hers, totally aware and focused once again.
He looked gorgeous tonight. His black hair combed back, his green eyes sparkling expectantly. She’d helped him go through his backpack, grateful that someone had packed a dress shirt and tie, along with black slacks that fit a little too perfectly on his tight, muscular ass.
She had to grin because she couldn’t be that damaged if she could still appreciate a perfect ass, right?
Or perhaps it was just Arsenic, who never looked at her with anything but gentlemanly eyes, who made her feel safe and protected. Who was insisting on being only her friend.
Friend. How long had it been since she had one, aside from her co-workers at the hospital, who she only hung out with occasionally?
Truthfully, before she’d been kidnapped, work had been her life.
Arsenic had noticed the candle, and with a quick glare, to her dismay, he blew it out.
She frowned. “Why did you do that?”
“It could catch fire on the tablecloth.”
“Too bad,” she said, sighing and putting her cheek in her hand, resting her elbow on the table. She knew it was rude but figured Arsenic didn’t. “I thought it was kind of romantic.”
He raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”
“Nothing,” she said. “It just lent a nice warmth to the atmosphere.”
His eyes remained narrowed, glittering dangerously, but she was surprised to see him blow once more in the direction of the candle, this time lighting it.
She stared at the flickering flame curiously. “How did you do that?”
“Dragon.”
“Hopefully, the waitress won’t notice the middle is green.”
He waved a hand over it. “Now it’s not.”
Sure enough, the flame was yellow and orange, the normal color for fire. But she could swear it was green at the center a moment ago.
“Don’t want any arsenic in the air,” he said. “Though, I would neve
r let my element hurt you.”
“Element?”
“Right,” he said. “I told you there was a story that went with my name, but you didn’t want to hear it…”
“I guess I’ve changed my mind. I was foolish. Besides, as it turns out, I’m not sure the life I was so obsessed with going back to is as good as I remembered after all.” She opened the menu and looked at her options. “But maybe things will get better as I adjust.”
“Maybe,” he said.
She looked up to see him studying her. “What are you getting?”
“Oh, right, the food,” he said, looking through the menu. “What do you think?”
She gave him a long, slow look, eyes passing over his substantial pecs and arms, stretching out the dark, silvery-gray material of his dress shirt. “Probably some kind of meat. Steak?”
“I haven’t been much of a fan of human meat so far,” he said.
“Eaten a lot of them?”
“Oh, no,” he said. “I meant Earth meats. Meats that live on Earth.”
She laughed. “I know.” She put a hand over his, wanting to comfort him, then, at his look of shock, quickly pulled back.
What was it about this man that kept coaxing out unexpected sides of her?
“Sorry,” she said. “You’re easy to tease sometimes.”
“I’ve been told I take things too seriously.”
“I think you’re just focused. That’s good… I think. With your job.”
When the waitress came over, she placed her order and helped Arsenic pick something and then ordered them both wine.
It would be nice to just relax again, the way she used to before life got weird.
She sipped her wine. “So before you got assigned to me, what was your job?”
“Assassin.”
She nearly choked and had to put her glass down for a moment. “A what?”
“I killed things.”
“Oh, I mean, that makes sense, I guess.” She picked up the glass and took a long gulp, feeling a slight sense of relaxation come over her. The was better. She resolved to be less judgmental, or shocked, no matter what Arsenic told her.
This man was mysterious, and she wanted to know more about him.
Arsenic Dragon Page 8