The Sapphire Dragon

by Tianna Xander

  Daisy met Jarrod’s gaze and wondered at his intense expression. “I don’t think I did the man much damage before the other one hit me.”

  A low growl sounded near them and she looked around. “Did you hear that?” She sidled closer to him. “I have no idea what that was, but it sounded mean.” She peered around the corner, into the dining area and frowned. “You don’t think it could have been a drag—” Daisy stopped herself before she finished the word, dragon. She would have a difficult time explaining that if Jarrod didn’t know Drake and his men weren’t entirely human.

  “I didn’t hear a thing, love. And never think that what you did was ineffective. The man you took care of was still on the ground when I came in here,” he said in his delicious English accent that made her shiver. “Have you caught a chill, lass?” he asked with a slight Scottish accent that she hadn’t heard before.

  “No.” Her face heated as he reached for her, his hands rubbing her arms. “I’m fine.” She glanced over his shoulder into the dining area. “Where did that woman go? I’m hungry, damn it.”

  “I’m sure she’ll be right back,” Jarrod said with a chuckle, his blue eyes sparkling down into hers. “Besides, you wanted to wash your hands, did you not?” Grasping her shoulders, he gently turned her around and pointed her toward the restroom. “There you go, now. I’ll just find my way into the men’s room while you’re at it. I should probably wash my hands as well.”

  No kidding. It’s hard telling what those men had all over them. She shivered again when Jarrod’s breath brushed the side of her neck. What was it about the man that kept giving her goose bumps?

  The first thing Daisy did when she entered the bathroom was look in the mirror. She instantly regretted it. The entire right side of her face was red and swollen where the man had apparently backhanded her. There was an indentation on her cheek where the setting of a ring dug into her flesh when his hand made contact with her cheek. It wasn’t any wonder Jarrod kept getting that odd look on his face. She looked like hell.

  If the man was anything like every other man she’d ever had in her life, he probably wanted to break bones. He might even resent the fact that he’d had to pick her up off the ground and bring her inside instead of beating those men to a pulp.

  Daisy turned on the cold water and splashed the dirt from her face. Using the nearly useless foam soap almost every retail business used, she washed her hands and turned to grab a paper towel to dry them.

  On her way to the door, she turned and glanced in the mirror one more time and shook her head. As dates went, this one was a bust and it was all her fault because she’d insisted that Drake tell his men to stay home.

  If they had been here, she probably never would have known the men were out to snatch her away. Just think, you idiot. Had you not insisted that Drake’s men stay home, you could be sitting out there eating a nice steak dinner instead of standing in here doing damage control to your face.

  One thing was certain, if she could defend herself and unman an assailant while being restrained by two men, she could leave the bathroom and face her date. Taking a deep breath, Daisy gathered her courage to face one of England’s most handsome bachelors, fat lip and all. She mentally yanked up her big-girl panties and then glanced at her reflection one last time before opening the door and exiting the restroom.

  She just wasn’t looking forward to getting home to have Drake or one of his men tell her, I told you so. If they did, she might just show them her self-defense moves, now that she knew they really worked. The last thing she needed was some full-of-himself dragon rubbing her nose in the fact that they obviously needed their protection. It was bad enough they all took it upon themselves to protect them.

  “I swear to God, if any one of those bossy bastards tries to tell me I told you so, I’m going to give them a good swift kick.”

  “Such a temper, love.” Jarrod grinned.

  “Oh!” Daisy’s cheeks burned when she looked up from the floor and saw Jarrod waiting for her. She should have realized he would. He would have been a fool to go sit at the table with the chance that someone else could be waiting to snatch her away. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize…” She let her words trail off and bit her lip. She could think of nothing to say that would relieve her embarrassment and the chances were great that whatever she said would only make matters worse.

  Chapter Ten

  Jarrod took Daisy’s arm as she made to stroll past him and into the restaurant. The hostess stood waiting, menus in hand as they approached.

  “There you are. If you’ll both just follow me, I found a lovely table on the veranda.” She gave Jarrod a brilliant smile. “I was beginning to think you’d left.” She turned and headed into the dining room.

  “And decided to stand here waiting for him to return on the off chance he hadn’t,” Daisy mumbled softly as she followed them through the dining area. -

  Jarrod pressed his lips together. He couldn’t laugh and he couldn’t let on that he’d heard her. Humans didn’t hear that well. Still, just knowing Daisy felt jealous of the other woman made him feel ten-feet tall. Jarrod was a male first, and all males wanted to know that the female they desired wanted them enough to fight for them, even if it was just verbal sparring.

  Still, he couldn’t resist teasing her. “Did you say something?” he asked over his shoulder as they passed through the double French doors and stepped out onto the veranda.

  “No. I was just admiring the lovely skirt suit she’s wearing. It must have cost her a fortune.” Daisy’s face was as red as the napkins on the table where they stopped.

  He was surely going to hell for teasing her that way, but he couldn’t help it. “Have a seat, love.” Jarrod grinned when she shivered. He knew the effect he had on her and he was glad of it. He wanted a reaction. He wanted Daisy to think about how he made her feel. He loved the way her breath hitched, and the way he could hear her heart skip a beat when he was near. Hell, she did the same thing to him. It was one of the tell-tale signs that she was his mate.

  He held the chair while she sat and then seated himself across from her. He wanted to see her while they ate. He loved looking into those unusual, amber eyes with their shining blue stars. Something about her beautiful eyes drew him in.

  “Thank you,” Daisy said as she picked her napkin up off the table and placed it in her lap.

  “You’re welcome.” He gave her a wink before turning his attention back to the hostess. “Please have a bottle of your best wine brought to the table with two glasses,” he said with a smile. “This is a special occasion.”

  “Special?” Daisy’s brows rose.

  “Of course.” He snapped his napkin open and dropped it in his lap. “This is the first day you’ve been out without a guard in…how long?”

  Jarrod could have kicked himself when he saw her nervously shift her gaze to the hostess who still stood at their table as though star struck. “We’d like that wine as soon as possible, if you don’t mind.”

  “No. Of course not! I-I’ll have a w-waiter bring a bottle out to you as quickly as p-possible.” The woman stammered as she moved away. It was plain to see that she was reluctant to leave. She could hardly bring the wine herself. It was beneath her position.

  Jarrod turned his attention back to his mate. “I apologize.” Reaching out, he picked up the glass of water in front of him just after a member of the wait staff filled it. “I should have warned you to expect that kind of reaction from people.”

  “What was her problem, anyway?”

  “Well…I have a familiar face.” What he said wasn’t an untruth. “There is a famous actor here who resembles me in a small way.”

  That was an understatement. The man downright looked like him. He would wonder about the man’s parentage if it hadn’t been more than a century since Jarrod could have fathered a child. He supposed the man could be a grandchild or great grandchild. Though he had no knowledge of offspring, didn’t mean he had non
e.

  It wasn’t as if he stuck around in any one place for very long. Hell, he could have a plethora of offspring, he supposed. He hadn’t lived as chaste as a monk all of his life. He’d only done that for the past hundred years or so.

  “Oh.” Daisy watched the waiter fill her glass before lifting it to her lips to take a sip. “I wondered about that. It was almost as if…”

  “As if…what?” Jarrod handed her one of the menus the waiter handed him. He wondered if perhaps she thought he’d gotten a bit of the Dragon’s Desire. She must have remembered that if he had, she would be fawning all over him as well as the rest of the female patrons of the establishment.

  “Nothing.” She took another drink of her water, no doubt to cover up the fact that she wasn’t telling him the entire truth. “Really, it’s nothing. I don’t even remember what I’d been about to say.”

  Jarrod wasn’t certain that what she said was entirely true. However, she couldn’t accuse him of being exposed to the Dragon’s Desire without coming right out and asking him if he was a dragon.

  Since she didn’t know if he knew of their kind or not, she couldn’t, and most likely, wouldn’t take the chance of exposing them to a man she believed human.

  A whistling sound startled him and he reached for his phone. Checking his text message, he sighed. “Will you excuse me?” He gave her a sheepish smile. “It seems my people are having a problem and need to talk to me.” Standing, he swiped the screen on his phone, brought up his contact list and dialed Drake’s number. “Go ahead and order. I’ll order when I pass the waiter on my way to the door.” He turned his attention to his phone when Drake answered. “What do you need? I’m rather busy.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Daisy watched as Jarrod strode away, the phone held tight to his ear. “They did what?

  She wondered what fresh hell he had in store for him when he got home. It couldn’t be anything as bad as their losing an old family friend to a dragon that had been sleeping for goodness knows how long. That had happened to them just a few months ago. A dragon grabbed their friend Emily and took her God only knew where.

  That freaking dragon just snatched Emily up in his huge paws and carried her off. He didn’t even give her a choice. So what if she’d loved him in the past? There was no guarantee that she still felt the same for the big jerk.

  Declan, the red dragon had risen from his deep sleep, grabbed Emily up and flew away with her. No one was certain if she was alive or dead. At least Daisy wasn’t certain.

  Her sister, Summer, on the other hand, was sure the red dragon had carried off his mate, taking her to his lair where he could convince her to be his mate. It didn’t matter. As far as Daisy was concerned, kidnapping was kidnapping no matter the reason.

  Emily was an old woman and no dragon male had the right to just up and snatch a woman away and hold her captive until she agreed to be his mate. It was positively archaic!

  “Have you decided what you’d like?” the waiter asked as he stared down at her. “The Caesar salad is an excellent choice if I might be so bold as to suggest it.”

  “Thank you,” Daisy replied as she finally looked at the menu. “But I’m not really a salad kind of person. I think I’ll take the petite rib-eye, medium with a side of broccoli.”

  “Excellent choice, ma’am.” The waiter smiled and took the menus. “Your meals should arrive momentarily.”

  “Thank you.” Daisy turned toward the doorway as the waiter walked away. Jarrod glanced her way with a wink and a smile.

  Her insides nearly melted. How could a man be so handsome and still so approachable? She believed him when he told her that he resembled a celebrity. The man was nearly perfect with his black hair and eyes so blue that they rivaled the sapphire blue of her dress.

  She watched as Jarrod stuck his phone in his pocket and strode toward her. “I hope it isn’t too important.”

  “There is nothing on this Earth that could be more important than you.” Reaching out, he lifted her hand to his lips, pressing a kiss to the back of her fingers.

  “Flattery will get you everywhere, sir,” Daisy said with a laugh as he sat down. “I’m glad that whatever it was won’t cut our evening short.” She met his gaze, wondering if what she said was true. She was fishing for answers. What could possibly be so important to a playboy that it would interrupt his date for the evening?

  “Not to worry, love. Nothing will cut our evening short.” Reaching over, he covered her hand with his.

  Goodness! Could his accent get sexier? Daisy doubted it. It was a classy-sounding mixture of proper English with a touch of Scottish accent. Just listening to him talk was enough to make her want to melt into a puddle at his feet.

  “So…” She paused to clear her throat. “What do you do to pass the time?” She wanted to ask him about his work, but was afraid that it might be considered uncouth here. They might speak the same language, but it didn’t mean that there wouldn’t be any cultural differences between their two countries.

  “Mostly, I run the family companies.” He shrugged and leaned forward with a smile. “To tell you the truth, the companies practically run themselves, but I feel compelled to pop into the office from time to time and muck things up for everyone else.”

  Daisy stared at him for a moment, unsure of what to say until he burst out laughing.

  “I’m not some stiff and staid old man that you need fret over insulting, Daisy. I’m a young man who still manages to see beauty in most everything he sees.” His eyelids drooped a bit before he winked. “Right now, I’m drowning in beauty and I couldn’t be happier.”

  “Yep. I was right. You are a smooth-talking devil. Now you have me wondering if I should be worried about my virtue.”

  Daisy smiled up at the waiter when he deposited her dinner in front of her. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome, miss,” the waiter replied and then turned to set Jarrod’s plate in front of him. “Please don’t hesitate to inform me if you have need of anything—anything at all.”

  “Certainly,” Jarrod returned as he shook out his napkin and repositioned it in his lap. “Though, I’m sure that everything is prepared to perfection, as usual.”

  With one last nod, the waiter retreated to stand beside the others who stood against the wall, waiting for someone to signal their need of them.

  “This is a lovely place.” She cut a small piece off her steak and took a bite. Blissfully, she closed her eyes, barely stopping herself from letting out a long, low moan. “This just might be the best steak I have ever eaten.”

  “There is nothing quite like good English beef.” He smiled, taking a bite of his own dinner. It didn’t look at all appetizing to Daisy. She was almost afraid to ask what it was.

  “Are you enjoying your kidney pie, sir?” the hostess asked as she walked by with another couple. “Ours is the best in town.”

  “It’s wonderful. Thank you,” was his reply.

  Daisy’s stomach turned. She’d heard it was quite delicious. She wasn’t sure she would ever have the courage to stick a bite of it past her lips. To her, kidney pie sounded gross.

  They finished their meal in relative silence. They had both grown quiet after the hostess asked them about their meals. Soon, they were finished and Jarrod stood.

  “Shall we go?” he asked as he nodded to the hostess. She waved at him and he held out his arm. “Though I hate to see the evening draw to a close, we simply must. Drake would have my head on a platter if I don’t return you soon.”

  Of course he would. It was a miracle Drake had decided to let them have this time alone. It felt wonderful to spend time with a human man and not see Drake’s gaggle of goons around every corner.

  Daisy knew she shouldn’t ask. She even knew that she would regret it before the words left her lips, but she couldn’t stop herself from voicing them. “Will I see you again?”

  Chapter Twelve

  Jarrod stood across the room
and stared at the males who had taken his quarry from him and then let him escape. “What do you mean he got away?” He slammed his fist into the wall, then grimaced at the large hole in the thick plaster. “You should have let me kill him. The man struck my mate!”

  “We couldn’t allow you to end him when we knew he had information to share with us.”

  “Yes,” Jarrod said sarcastically. “How did that work out for you, exactly? As I recall, the bastard escaped, killing one of your men in the process.”

  “Stop bickering, you two,” Drake interjected as he walked into the room. “No one, and I repeat,” he said as he glared at Jarrod. “No one could have predicted last night’s events. Since when is a human powerful enough to kill a dragon when other dragons are within sight?”

  Turning, he strode over to the dragon who laid on the bed. “And what do we do with him?” They couldn’t dispose of the body in their usual manner. Somehow, the human had turned the poor bastard to stone.

  “What’s this?” he asked as he examined the strange sheet left in the center of the dead man’s chest. It held the mark of a series of circles with a gleaming stone or crystal in the center of it. He glanced up at Drake. “Any ideas?”

  “None,” Drake replied with a shake of his head. “I’ve got some men researching it now.” He turned as two men entered the room. “Did you find anything?”

  “Not yet.” The other man shook his head. “I’ll need more time. Possibly more men while we’re at it, too.”

  “Whatever you need, Darius.” Drake turned to Jarrod. “You know Darius Black, do you not?” He stepped back so the other man could extend his hand.

  Darius smiled. “I’ve heard much about the sapphire dragon. It’s good to finally meet you.”

  “And I you.” Jarrod returned the firm grip and shook the other man’s hand. He’d heard much about the black dragon, though he’d never thought to picture the black dragon as a human of Latino descent.