by Emma Nichols
I snorted. “No, I plan to go through the bedroom door.” Then I picked up the tray and stalked toward Maggie’s hiding spot. When I reached the door, I knocked lightly a few times.
“Coming!” She sounded so happy, my heart raced. I couldn’t wait to see her face, spend more time with her. As the door flew open, she grinned, and I started walking into the room, the food held out in front of me like some peace offering. A second later, she registered I was the one holding the tray, not Fredo, and her face fell. Maggie squealed and slammed the door in my face, which would’ve been bad enough, but our lunch flew backwards from the force of the wood slamming into it.
I could see it all happening in slow motion, but I was completely powerless to stop it. The sandwiches on fine china plates simply slid off the tray. Our homemade lemonade splashed down the front of me. Oh, but the potato salad did the most damage as it hit the hardwood. The bowl shattered while the contents splattered on my pants. The din of silver clattering on the floor rang in my ears almost as loudly as her squeal.
“Fredo!” I called as my frustration began to build.
“I heard. I’m coming, sir.” Seconds later he appeared at my side. “Oh my.” He looked me up and down, and then scanned the walls and floor. “My, my, my.”
Maggie slowly opened the door while biting on the side of her finger. “I’m sorry,” she whimpered. Then she dropped to the floor and began picking up.
I squatted down with her. “Don’t. You could get cut.” Still she ignored me. I could feel the anger rising in my chest as the burning began. “Stop!” I shouted.
“I’ll be fine,” she argued, completely unfazed. She didn’t jump when I snapped. Hell, she didn’t even look at me.
Of course, Fredo couldn’t stop staring. The color drained from his face as his eyes widened. “Sir, you should go to your room…”
I knew what he was getting at. Soon, I’d go full-on fire-breathing dragon, if I wasn’t careful. My fists were clenched at my side. How could she treat me like this? How could she argue and ignore me and be so damn stubborn? I must some kind of glutton for punishment because for some fucking reason, I still wanted her. I blew out a breath. It came out as pure steam. Whipping around, I practically raced to my bedroom and slammed the door. Shower or burn room? Shower or burn room? In a minute, I wouldn’t have a choice. I fumbled with the key around my neck, struggling to first get it out of my collar, and then into the lock. Finally, when I heard the click, I pulled the door, which looked deceptively like an ordinary door. Instead, it was twice the thickness, and about ten times as heavy, since the second side was entirely made of steel. I slipped through the opening, yanked the door shut behind me, and twisted the dead bolt. I was too blinded by my fury to find a keyhole. When I made it down the flight of cement steps and reached the bottom, I kicked off my shoes, thinking I might be able to salvage my clothes later. Before I could finish undressing, I’d completely lost control and busted out of a perfectly good, albeit incredibly soiled, outfit.
Kicking it with my giant clawed feet was a huge failure, so I whipped the clothes in front of me with my tail. They’d be obliterated first. A huge roar escaped my mouth, followed by a stream of fire, which traveled from my belly, up my long, thick neck on its way out. I let out all my rage, all my anger, and pushed aside all my fear while I burned every flammable item Fredo had stocked in the room. When I was done, I dropped from exhaustion, my torso hitting the floor when my bulging muscular legs gave out.
My head felt like it might split open. My heart ached in my chest. Still, the unsettling flutter inside me grew more insistent. I’d never been more miserable. If this was what it was like having a mate, I wanted no part of it.
Maggie
“I don’t know what’s wrong with me,” I whispered while tears streamed down my face. “This isn’t me. This woman you’re seeing, she’s a stranger. I have no idea what’s going on. I’m all…uncomfortable inside. A strange flutter keeps intensifying. And I can’t do anything to make it go away.”
Passing me a handkerchief from his pocket, Fredo murmured, “Blow. I can barely understand you.”
“Thanks,” I muttered as I took his advice. “I swear I’d be fine if I could just make this…go away.” With one hand, I rubbed the center of my abdomen.
“What have you tried so far, Miss Maggie?” Fredo asked absently as he used the dust pan and whisk broom to pick up the last shards of china and glass.
Sitting hard on the floor, I began to tick my failed remedies off on my fingers. “Tums, ibuprofen, and wine. Entirely too much wine.” Then the floor shook and I braced myself on the doorway. “Quick! It’s an earthquake.” I scrambled to me feet, ready to rush to my father and make sure he took cover.
Reaching out, Fredo laid a hand on my forearm. “It’s not an earthquake.”
I frowned. “The whole house is shaking. What could make it do that, if not a quake?”
He licked his lips and appeared to be choosing his words carefully. “Mr. Draco is…working out. The tremors will stop soon.”
“What kind of exercise makes an entire house shake?” My brow furrowed.
“The kind Mr. Draco does, miss.” Then Fredo stood abruptly, picked up the trash bag and disappeared.
For a few minutes, I paced. My father had a purpose here. Fredo had a purpose. Blaise owned the place. I was the odd one out who kept messing everything up. What would I do with myself? I felt like I was losing my mind here. I glanced at the closed door to Blaise’s suite. Fredo had been right. The tremors had slowed and no doubt he’d be done soon. Now I really didn’t want to see him. My stomach growled and I decided to give in and eat. Reluctantly, I wandered to the kitchen. Blaise said I had free rein. I flitted around the space, opening cupboards and studying the contents of the fridge. Within minutes, I had replicated the lunch I’d ruined. As I sat down to eat, Fredo strode into the room.
“I would’ve made that for you, miss.” He frowned. “I was taking out the trash.”
“It’s fine. I’m not used to having anyone serve me.” I started stuffing my face and hoped he’d find another task to accomplish so I could be left alone. Instead, he hovered nearby during my entire meal. “Listen,” I began tentatively, since I really should’ve been having this discussion with Blaise, “I understand why my father has to be here, but I’m just in the way. So, I’m going to duck out. Thank you for everything.”
“Miss, where will you go? How will you get there?” He gestured toward the driveway. “Your car will be mostly blocked in until late tomorrow night. If you still feel this strongly about leaving, we’ll talk to Mr. Draco and work it out later.” He tried to appear calm, but he was wringing his hands.
“Fine. I’ll take it up with Blaise.” I shook my head. “This won’t go well. I just know it.”
Fredo swallowed hard. “Probably not, miss.”
I stood up and walked around the island to the dishwasher. When I started to open it, I was met with such a stern look, I held up both hands and backed away. “Thank you, Fredo. See you at dinner.”
He nodded, but I could feel his worry.
So I tried to kill time in the library until dinner. The room was right next to Blaise’s suite. I kept listening for his door to open, but hours passed without a sound. I started pacing, which is about the time I realized for someone who claimed I didn’t want to see him, I definitely wanted to see him. I also realized something else. The more I thought about Blaise, the more powerful my flutter became.
9
Blaise
“You must learn to control that temper,” Fredo mumbled when he peeked into my room after dinner and found me resting in my bed. “How long were you out this time?”
I shook my head. “No idea. I came to on the floor and crawled up the stairs.” I pointed to the key on the nightstand. “I’ll need a new thong for it.”
“Of course, sir.” He grabbed the key and walked over to lock the door.
I settled back into my pillows. With a little rest
and some food, I’d be good as new in a few hours, thanks to the rapid healing abilities I shared with most shifters. “What did you make for dinner?” I closed my eyes and prayed it was high in iron and protein.
“I made New England Boiled Dinner and cornbread,” Fredo announced.
I groaned. “I need…”
“Of course, I have liver ready for you.” He nodded.
“Thank God. I’ll eat in here. Maybe I’ll be out later. This is the last night I can fly for a few days, so I plan to take advantage. I hope it might fix whatever ails me.” I gestured to my mid-section.
“Interesting,” Fredo murmured.
I sighed. “I’ll bite. What’s so interesting?”
“Someone else is complaining about a fluttering discomfort in her mid-section. This, naturally, is the same someone who was asking about you at dinner.” He disappeared inside my closet and I guessed he’d be returning with a robe.
Sitting up more, I murmured, “Maggie asked about me?”
“She did, sir.” Fredo dropped the robe on the end of my bed, then paused before exiting the room. “I’ll go get your dinner ready, sir.”
“Right. Sure. Yeah. Thanks.” I couldn’t focus on anything other than the idea that Maggie had wondered where I was. Business-minded as I am, I began thinking through next steps, plotting out where to go from here. Oh, and let’s not forget the ever-practical measurement of risk in terms of gain and loss.
By the time Fredo returned, he found me slumped over my iPhone as I made note after note about my current situation. “Ready to eat, sir?”
I dropped the phone on my nightstand and adjusted my position so he could set the lap tray over me. “Thank you,” I murmured. Though he remained silent, I’d noticed the way his eyebrows shot up when I thanked him.
Fredo puttered around the room and I knew why. He worried over me. After all these years, I’d like to believe it had to do with more than money. He could easily find work with one of the other families in the Draco line. There were plenty of options out there, scattered about the globe, since our aging made it impossible to stay anywhere for long. We lived mostly solitary lives, aside from our mate and our servants. Fredo was often a source of frustration, but in moments like this, I was reminded of the comfort he provided as well.
Hungry as I was, I devoured the liver in less than five bites. All decorum was forgotten the minute I had to recover. Once I was done, I pushed the tray back and stretched. Closing my eyes, I listened to my body as it healed. The iron raced through my blood stream. The proteins built up my muscles. Soon, my strength returned. I pulled my legs out from under the blankets and exhaled. Standing, I spread my arms and grinned. “All better.”
“Yes, I see that, sir.” Fredo shifted uncomfortably as he helped me into my robe.
“What is it?” I frowned. My need to fly was great.
“Well, I’m not sure how much longer I can hold off Miss Maggie,” he murmured,
I groaned. “Give me an hour. Just let me get my head right. I want to see her, too, but I can’t do it like this.” I sighed in frustration. “I’ll mess up everything. This is important. My future is at stake, my line.” I shook my head.
“One hour, sir.” He nodded and backed out of the room.
When I heard the door latch behind him, I walked to the balcony, savoring the feel of the gentle breeze against my skin. Without hesitation, I untied the robe and shrugged a few times to make it slip off my shoulders. I was ready to fly.
Maggie
From the couch in the library, I listened for Blaise’s door. It opened and quickly closed again. There were footsteps in the hall and I pretended not to notice as Fredo rushed past with an empty tray. So, Blaise had eaten, but not with me. I was restless and distracted. I’d read the same paragraph in this book about twelve times and if my life depended upon it, I still wouldn’t be able to give a synopsis. I barely hesitated. If Blaise could barge in on me when I didn’t want to see him, then surely it could work the other way. The flutter was growing more insistent and for some strange reason, I felt like if I could just see Blaise and talk to him, I might feel better. I tiptoed to the hallway and peeked toward his suite. The door was still closed. I’d waited long enough. I pushed up the sleeves of my thermal shirt, then I strode to his room. Taking a deep breath, I knocked, and then tested the handle. He couldn’t keep avoiding me. And if he wanted to, then I would just go. Yeah, that’s what I would say. The handle turned and with my shoulders back, and my head held high, I let myself in. “Blaise,” I began, in my most assertive voice. “We need to talk.”
I scanned the room, which appeared to be empty. Some movement on the balcony caught my attention. Blaise was perched on the railing, completely naked. For a moment, I was distracted by his muscular physique, which he’d hidden so well under his business attire. He had broad shoulders, tapering down to a narrow waist, and a really nice ass. Blaise spread his arms and without even acknowledging me, he dove head first down the cliff. I screamed as I rushed to the railing, fully expecting to find him in a crumbled, broken heap on the rocky shore. My heart raced, my flutter accelerated almost painfully now, instead of being merely annoying and unsettling. Tears streamed down my face. I couldn’t seem to catch my breath. As I stared down into the dark, his body disappeared, and I imagined the worst. My body shook as I tried to stop the sobs. Already, my throat ached from holding them in. Only as I stared down, some…creature soared up into the air, wings pounding. I squinted through the fog, and with the help of the moonlight, I realized I was watching a dragon and gasped.
Suddenly, there were two hands on my biceps, pulling me back away from the balcony, even as the dragon met my gaze with his bright blue eyes, which reminded me of giant sapphires. These eyes were familiar to me, comforting, albeit confusing. Immediately, I calmed down. The tears dried up.
“This way, miss.” Fredo tugged me away from the railing and through the French doors, but I couldn’t take my eyes off the flying beast.
“Wait. Just…wait.” I yanked out of his grasp and rushed toward it once more as the creature hovered nearby. The beating wings created gusts which whipped my hair around. I struggled to try to pull it away from my face, so my view would remain unobstructed. Though I should’ve been afraid, I wasn’t. Instead of a monster, I saw strength and power. Strangely enough, I felt…safe.
The dragon flew higher into the air, circled and dove a few times. I stood there watching in wonder, frozen in place, completely unable to look away. After several minutes of performing tricks a little way out over the dark ocean, the dragon raced toward the balcony and the closer it came, the faster my heart raced. Finally, after shooting into the air above my head, the dragon morphed and Blaise dropped down to the balcony, landing in a crouch a foot away from me with a gentle thud. I was so focused on Blaise, I barely noticed when Fredo rushed up and helped him into his robe.
Once Blaise cinched it around his waist, he tilted his head and licked his lips while staring intently at me. “You weren’t afraid.” It wasn’t a question, but I still responded.
Shaking my head, I murmured, “Of you? Never.” Then I laid a hand over my abdomen. The flutter made it nearly impossible for me to concentrate.
His eyes honed in on the placement of my hand. “What if I did this?” he asked as he took a step toward me, wrapped me in his arms and pressed his lips to mine.
An incredible rush of heat spread through me. My mouth opened to his tongue’s gentle probing, engaging mine. Our heads twisted, perfectly attuned to each other, as if this had been choreographed instead of spontaneous. When he finally broke off the kiss, he buried his face in my throat and then pulled me closer to his chest.
“Not now either,” I whispered, almost afraid of ruining the moment.
Without warning, Blaise scooped me up into his arms like I weighed nothing at all. “You are one unexpected creature, Maggie Wallace,” he announced quietly. Then he kissed my temple.
“Look who’s talking.” I giggled.
He carried me to the bed and gently set me on the mattress before climbing on to join me. Reaching out, he held my hand in his and stared into my eyes while addressing his servant. “We’re good, Fredo. I’ll call if we need anything.”
“Yes, sir.” A moment later, I heard the door close, but since we couldn’t break our gaze, neither of us actually saw him leave.
“You said something about how we needed to talk, hm?” He grinned as he brought my hand to his lips and grazed my knuckles.
“Yeah. That. You first. I believe you have some explaining to do.” My brow shot up in challenge.
Blaise chuckled. “I do.” He shook his head. “I honestly expected I’d have to pry you from the ceiling when you saw me…like that.”
I rolled my eyes. “Please, I’m made of tougher stuff than that, but I don’t understand how this is possible. I thought dinosaurs died off long ago.” My mind raced I sorted through conspiracy theories.
His brows rose. “What? You think I’m part pterodactyl?” Blaise chuckled as his thumb rubbed a circle on the back of my hand. “No, principessa. I don’t have an ounce of dinosaur in me.” He took a deep breath as though trying to prepare for a long explanation. “Dragons didn’t die off. We were nearly all killed off, as the fairy tales would suggest.” He lay down on his side and I did the same, inches from his body, facing him.
The flutter felt more manageable while we touched. “Go on,” I urged, eager to hear what he seemed reluctant to say.
Blaise nodded. “There’s one story no one shares. It has become a legend in Italy.” He swallowed and released my hand long enough to cup the side of my face and smooth back some stray strands of hair. “There once was a dragon who kidnapped a princess. See, back in the day, dragons had a much different life from the kind we have now. They kidnapped princesses for ransom. They loved nothing more than gold. They ate their fill of livestock. Needless to say, the townspeople were not fans.”