“I’m a dragon shifter,” he reminded her and immediately wished he hadn’t.
“A dragon shifter who is going to use a spell to conceal that very fact,” she replied hotly. “If you shift, the spell will be broken and they’ll know you’re there.”
“Larisa is right,” Gilliam agreed unhelpfully.
“Let’s calm down and think this through.” Karros got up from his chair and went to the stove. “I think this is burning.”
Gilliam jumped out of his chair and hurried over to the pan. “Karros is right. We should eat and then discuss it when we’re calmer.”
“There is nothing to discuss.” Larisa jutted her chin out in defiance. “I am going with you.”
We should let her come, Ivan’s dragon told him. We are in this together and this affects Larisa as much as us.
You’re right. I know you are, but I can’t stand the thought of Larisa getting hurt.
And she can’t stand the thought of us getting hurt. Which is why we should go together. His dragon grumbled as he took himself to a corner of Ivan’s mind and settled down. Neither of them liked this at all. The situation was impossible. But doing nothing was impossible, too.
“Could you wash the plates?” Gilliam instructed Karros. “I can’t recall the last time they were used.”
“Sure.” Karros seemed relieved to have something to do while Ivan and Larisa sat mutely at the table. They didn’t make eye contact, there was no point in arguing in front of everyone. This was something they needed to figure out for themselves.
“This smells good,” Zara sniffed the plate of food Karros set down in front of her.
“I grow tomatoes in the small kitchen garden. I usually grow enough fruit and vegetables to feed myself with the other foods I gather in the forest.” Gilliam sat down and plucked up his fork. “It’s good to have company.”
“Will you visit us in Wishing Moon Bay?” Karros waved his fork at Ivan. “Once Ivan has figured out what to do with his treasure.”
“I’d like that.” Gilliam nodded. “I can’t recall the last time I left the walls of this place for more than a couple of hours.”
“Don’t you get lonely?” Zara picked up a forkful of food and sniffed it before she took a bite. “It tastes even better than it smells.”
“You sound surprised,” Gilliam said.
“I’m not good with foreign food. I like things plain and simple, it’s the way I was raised.” She grinned as she caught Ivan’s eye. “But Ivan and Elise have been coaxing me to try more dishes since the food at the hotel restaurant is so yummy.”
“You should come stay at the hotel.” Ivan would love to get to know Gilliam better. He’d come around to the idea of hearing all the stories about his parents and their lives together.
And our father’s life before he left the dragon isle. Ivan’s dragon sighed mournfully. How different our lives would have been if he was never banished.
“I’d like to visit,” Gilliam said. “Although, I’m not used to having anything done for me. I’d probably be in the kitchen with you.”
“You could help Elise with the fae flavors menu she’s been creating. It’s been very popular. But looking at the contents of this dish, I can see she’s only just scraped the surface of fae cuisine.” Ivan chewed appreciatively. It sure was nice to enjoy good food prepared by someone else.
“That would be my gift to you.” Gilliam smiled and relaxed, although he pushed his food thoughtfully around his plate.
He has something on his mind, Ivan’s dragon said.
He does. I get the feeling we’re not going to like what he has to say. Ivan forced himself to chew his food while he ran through various scenarios of how they could get into the apartment where Argothorn lived.
They ate dinner while the sun set outside, casting the kitchen in shadow. Gilliam cleared the plates off the table and lit several lanterns. There was no electricity in the palace, it was like they’d been transported back in time.
“Are you going to share your idea with us?” Ivan asked as they sat around the table drinking a bottle of homemade mead. Gilliam kept bees for their honey and wax. He made mead from the surplus honey while the wax was used for candles. Gilliam was self-sufficient in most ways. He was a man who lived a simple life.
“You are not going to like it.” Gilliam gulped a mouthful of mead and set his glass down on the table.
“Tell us anyway,” Karros urged gently. “We might be able to use your plan with a workaround.”
“I told you the stories about the elves. I told you how they were often the mates of dragons. In the stories, a dragon with an elf mate as his rider were almost invincible.” He glanced at Larisa before he looked down at his glass.
“I’ve heard the stories.” Ivan instantly had misgivings about the plan even though Gilliam hadn’t revealed the details. “What does this have to do with us taking down this red dragon?”
“Larisa should go to Argothorn’s lair and ask to speak with him.” Gilliam avoided Ivan’s angry stare.
“You want Larisa to walk right up to the front door and ask to see him?” Ivan asked.
“I’d prefer it if she climbed in through his window unseen, but I don’t see a way of that happening unless you show yourself.” Gilliam was absolutely serious. “The tower where Argothorn lives in is hard to reach.”
“Why? Why would you put Larisa in danger like that?” Karros asked.
“She won’t be in danger. Not if she dresses for the part.” Gilliam was out of his seat and prowling the room, the years seemed to disappear, and he looked fifteen years younger as he rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
“And what do you want me to do when I get there?” Larisa asked calmly.
Ivan straightened in his seat. Did Gilliam expect Larisa to kill the dragon shifter? He wouldn’t allow her to do that. He wouldn’t allow her to put herself in such a vulnerable position. If she walked in the front door as Gilliam suggested and killed Argothorn, she would never get out of there alive.
“You are just going to talk to him. Persuade him to leave his sanctuary. Persuade him to tell the truth about what happened to Ivan’s parents.” Gilliam’s plan sounded so simple. Ridiculously simple.
Aside from the glaringly obvious defects in the plan.
“Larisa is going to ask him to spill the beans on how he murdered my parents and then murdered Murray and framed someone else?” Ivan put his hand out to Gilliam. “I just want to make sure I have this clear.”
“Yes.” Gilliam nodded. “If she looks the part, it might work.”
“If she looks the part...” Karros stared at Larisa for a long moment.
“What?” Ivan barked. “What are we missing?”
“Larisa looks like an elf. There’s a chance Argothorn might think she’s a spirit. In the folktales that Grandma Hannah used to tell us, the dragons revered the elves above all else. They would open their heart to them.”
“Like a confessional?” Zara asked.
“Yes. The elves could be trusted above anyone. At least that’s what the dragon shifters thought. Having an elf as a mate or as your rider in battle was a great honor. Argothorn would see it as an honor that Larisa visited him.” Karros nodded thoughtfully. “It might just be enough to make him open up about what happened.”
“You would need to frame your narrative as a sympathetic ear. One Argothorn can rely on. You’d have to persuade him you have his back...”
“No!” Ivan thumped the table. Everyone jumped.
“You don’t get to decide what I can and can’t do,” Larisa told him hotly, her cheeks flushed pink as her temper flared.
“It’s too dangerous. And even if you could get him to talk to you, how are you going to get him to talk to the authorities? If he’s stayed in power so long and doesn’t leave his room, I expect he’s beyond paranoid. This could backfire spectacularly.” Ivan’s expression softened as he looked at his mate. “There must be another way.”
“Can you think of one?�
�� Larisa asked.
“No.” Ivan shook his head. “Not yet.”
“Then until you or someone else comes up with another plan then this is the one we go with.” Larisa’s lips were a thin line as she stared down at Ivan.
She is a force to be reckoned with, his dragon said proudly.
Not if she ends up dead.
Chapter Twenty-Five – Larisa
“I know you don’t like this plan.” Larisa dried a cup and placed it on the counter.
Ivan grunted as he dipped the next cup in the hot soapy water and placed it on the drainer. The others had gone outside. Karros had suggested that Gilliam show him and Zara around while Ivan and Larisa did the dishes. It was his subtle way of suggesting they give the dragon shifter and his mate time to talk alone.
“Are we going to talk about it?” Larisa picked up the cup and scrubbed it with the towel.
“Is there any point?” Ivan half-turned to look at her. “You have made a decision.”
She pressed her lips together. “I don’t want to fight with you over this.”
His expression softened. “We’re not fighting. If this is what you want to do, I’ll back you. I’ll always back you. It doesn’t mean I have to like it, though.”
“If there was another way...” She placed the dish towel down on the counter and reached out to him.
“I wish I could think of one.” He leaned forward and kissed her cheek as she wrapped her arms around his waist. “You’re going to get wet.”
“I don’t care.” Larisa cupped his face in her hands and their lips met. Softly at first, she kissed his lips. He was tense. Despite his words, he was against the plan Gilliam had laid out. “I need to end this for my father and us.”
“I know and I understand. But the thought of you in danger rips my heart in two.” He inched his head back and looked into her eyes. “You are the most important thing in my life.”
“I promise not to do anything rash or stupid.” She searched his face, hating the sadness in his eyes.
“How are you even going to get there?” Ivan asked. “It’s not as if there’s a ferry from Wishing Moon Bay to the dragon isle. No one goes there.”
“There has to be a way.” She placed her hand on his chest and felt the steady thump of his heart. “I’m sure someone must go there. Traders?”
His expression changed, the lines around his mouth deeper as he looked away from her.
“You know someone.” She waited for him to answer as he stared at the sink filled with soapy water.
“Maybe.” His frown deepened. “My brother Logan once said something about an order for the dragon isle. Some of his croaking candy.” He shook his head. “It was a passing comment to Valerie. Not to me but I’m sure that’s what he said.” He gave a short laugh. “I don’t think I was supposed to hear.”
“They don’t talk about other dragons around you?” It seemed strange to her that he had no idea about his own kind. He’d had contact with plenty of shifters, but it was as if the dragon shifters were a mystery to him. All except the family he’d spoken about that lived in her world.
“No. Until Fiona and her family, I had no contact with other dragons. My mom always told me how the dragons on the dragon isle were dangerous and I should never go there.” Ivan snorted. “She was right about them being dangerous.”
“One of them is dangerous. We have no idea about the rest of them.” She sucked in a deep breath, needing to ask her next question but hating the idea of upsetting him. “Do you think she has any idea about all this?”
“No.” He shook his head firmly. “I am certain she has no idea.” Ivan kissed her cheek, turned away, and dipped his hands back in the hot water. “We should get these dishes finished.”
“After we’ve finished them, could we go back and look at your treasure?” Larisa needed to take one more look at it just to prove to herself it was real and not a mirage conjured up by Gilliam.
She shivered. The older fae still gave her bad vibes. But she was convinced it was as much to do with their surroundings as the guy himself.
“We can go back and take a look.” His eyes widened and he turned his attention from her and looked into the distance.
“Have you thought about what you plan to do with it?” She wiped a plate, her hand going around and around as she watched him. The treasure was the only thing that would ever compete with her for his attention.
He blinked as if he’d just come out of a trance. “I’ll leave it here for now. Gilliam has guarded it this long, I trust him to keep it safe. When we deal with the dragon shifter, I’ll reconsider. But I’m not sure what I’ll do with it.”
“What does a dragon do with their treasure?” she asked. “If it’s a part of you, I don’t imagine you’d easily sell any of it?”
He chuckled. “No, I don’t suppose I will. It’s maybe more trouble than it’s worth.”
“Oh, I don’t know. That is a lot of treasure.” She finished drying the plates and Ivan drained the water out of the sink then dried his hands.
“I’ll pass it on to our children.” Ivan waited for her to put the plates away in the cupboard. “If that’s okay with you.”
“It’s your treasure,” she replied without turning around. “You should do what you want with it.”
“It’s our treasure.” He came closer and slipped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him. “What’s mine is yours.”
“The treasure is yours. It’s like a family heirloom passed down from generation to generation.” She leaned into him and lifted her hand to stroke his cheek. “You should do what you think best with it.”
“I’d rather we decided together,” he murmured against her ear. “The treasure might be mine, but it doesn’t feel like it’s mine. It’s like it’s a part of me but also as if it belongs to a stranger. I can’t explain it.”
She turned around to face him. “Give it time, Ivan. This has all been a shock for you.”
“There’s so much I don’t know.” He looked down at the floor and she stroked his chin and tilted his head up, so he looked into her eyes.
“You’re not alone.” She smiled gently. “And you’re still the same person you always were. And, more importantly, your family still loves you for the man you are. Your treasure won’t make any difference to them.”
“It’s not my treasure I’m worried about.” He slipped his hand down over her hips and rested it over the pendant in her pocket. “It’s the danger I might bring to their door once we awaken the sleeping beast.”
“We could leave it here and walk away.”
“No, we can’t. We’ve come too far. This will haunt us, Larisa. It’ll eat away at us. Our families have suffered because of the owner of that pendant. It’s time things were put right. I want justice for your father and my parents.” He took a step away from her, his fingers entwined with hers. “Come on. Let’s go roll around in gold and jewels. It might make us feel better.”
“Now, that sounds like a good plan.” She giggled as he pulled her after him and ran out of the kitchen and along the hallway toward the broken wall.
“Gilliam certainly went to a lot of trouble to hide my father’s treasure.” Ivan stopped in the archway and stared down at the debris scattered all over the floor. “I should help clear this up.”
“We’ll do it later. When Gilliam comes back, we can ask him where he wants us to put it all.” Larisa tugged at Ivan’s hand. “Come on. We’ll get it done later. Karros and Zara will help, too.”
“Okay.” He turned toward his treasure, his eyes glazed as he strode down the hallway.
Was she invisible to him now that they were so close to his treasure? Perhaps she’d made a mistake bringing him back here, but he’d seemed in control of his actions after he found his treasure.
Ivan moved as if being pulled by an unseen force. It was similar to how shifters felt toward their mate. Ivan moved toward his treasure in the same way a shifter would gravitate toward their mate without
needing to see them.
Larisa followed, her hand in his as they entered the tunnel. Plunged into darkness, she tripped and caught hold of Ivan’s arm. It was enough to bring him back to her and he slowed his pace.
“Are you okay?” He held her close in the darkness, his arms wrapped protectively around her.
“I’m fine. But we’re going to need some light.” She pointed up ahead. “The torches. Gilliam put them back where we’d found them earlier. I think they’ve been here since your father brought the treasure down.”
“I’ll grab a couple.” He held onto her as he took his phone from his pocket and switched on the flashlight. The bright light illuminated the tunnel enough for them to see ten feet in front of them.
“Let me help.” Larisa let go of Ivan’s hand and hurried forward. Gilliam had taken the torches from a rack on the left side of the tunnel. With the help of Ivan’s phone, she could just about make out where they were.
“Do you need me to shift into my dragon and breathe fire on them to light them?” he asked.
She glanced up at him as she hunkered down and propped one of the torches up between her knees. “I think I’ve got it.” Next to the torches, she’d found flint and steel. Her dad had taught her how to use one when they used to go camping in the mountains near their house. She’d never expected the skill to come in handy in a cave filled with dragon treasure. “If your dragon breathed fire on them, he’d probably incinerate them and burn off my eyebrows.”
“My dragon has great control over his fire breathing,” Ivan retorted. “But you’re probably right. His fire is not a precision tool.”
“Pity. It would be a good skill for a chef to have. Just think how many more diners you’d get into the hotel restaurant if you offered dragon flame-grilled steaks or burgers.” She hit the steel against the flint. After a couple of attempts, she was rewarded with a bunch of sparks. A couple more attempts later, she’d gotten the hang of it and lit one torch.
“Here. Let me.” Ivan leaned down and picked the second torch off the ground and put it close to the one Larisa had already lit. The tunnel lit up brightly as the second torch caught light. “Ready?”
The Dragon Shifter's Desire: A Wishing Moon Bay Shifter Romance Page 17