He watched her toy with her fork, content to simply observe. It was pleasant sitting here alone with her. No smells of fried food and hot sauce and spilled, sour beer from the bar. No distractions, no shouts to the bar for drink orders or rowdy shifters banging mugs on the tables.
Just the two of them.
“I just want to be normal. A normal dragon girl, shifting into my dragon, flying over the world for fun, and working to earn money. How did I get into this mess?” she murmured more to herself than to him.
“You are far from other dragons,” he said quietly. Drust knew this as much. How he knew, he could not say.
Lacey did not meet his gaze. “Why do you want the Book of Shadows? It’s just a book.”
All his contentment evaporated. “You know it is more, Lacey. It contains dangerous spells to empower mortal Others. It was never meant to fall into mortal hands.”
She frowned. “And what’s wrong with having power?”
“Power for its own sake, without just cause, is risky.”
“But what of those of us who want power for a just cause? Say stopping someone from hurting another as they have in the past?”
Instinct warned him this was no random question. Drust studied her. “Someone who hurt you?”
Her mouth thinned. “None of your business.”
It was his business, but he could not read her life as easily as he could with his other charges. However, he could find out through other means.
Drust cocked his head, sorting through his mental library. He conjured a thick book on the table.
“What’s that?” Lacey peered at the fine leather binding, the crisp parchment as he opened the book.
“Your file. It contains everything about you.”
Glancing up, he saw blood drain from her face as she hugged herself. “Not a pretty story. Sure you wouldn’t rather read a romance novel? My book is pretty… grim.”
He hunted through the file, flipping through it by waving a hand. Drust read at lightning speed, absorbing details of her childhood, her foster home, her mother, her close relationship with Evie and her life now.
When he shut the file, his hands shook with rage. Needing to calm himself, he waved a hand so the file disappeared.
“Excuse me a moment,” he said tightly. “I shall return momentarily.”
Then he walked into Lacey’s backyard, and shifted into dragon. Drust took to the skies, winging on the breeze, soaring higher and higher. When he achieved enough altitude, he released his anger and roared.
Wispy clouds scattered and ice coated the air, crystals of pure cobalt blue. Drust dove into a headfirst dive, fury consuming him. He landed with a loud thud on her back lawn, the earth shuddering from the force.
Shifting back, he clothed himself in his uniform of cobalt blue tunic, trousers and soft doeskin boots. With considerable effort, he controlled his still seething rage.
Who would do that to an innocent child? He thought of Xavier’s mischievous Sonia, Tristan’s adorable twins and their parents turning into monsters, giving them nothing but abuse and cruelty instead of love and affection.
Leaning over, he braced his hands on his knees, feeling his gorge rise.
After a few moments, the nausea passed. Taking a deep breath, he strode into the house through the kitchen door.
Lacey still sat at the table, her gaze watching him. “It was that bad, huh? The list of all my misdeeds?”
Stunned, he realized she thought her file was all her wrongdoings, not what had been done wrong to her.
Drust strode up to her, and gently clasped her shoulders, studying her worried green eyes, the slight sprinkle of freckles on her nose and cheeks. She was healthy and tan, though far too thin for a female dragon.
He wondered how she’d endured all those years with a foster mother who should have loved her, and instead, treated her like a kicked dog.
Reading her aura, he saw her fears and worries about herself, and for her foster sister Evie. The one person who’d helped her endure and kept her screaming and alive and kicking.
Drust brushed back a lock of brown hair from her cheek. “Evie and Chase are doing well. They eloped to Scotland and they’re honeymooning on the Isle of Man. I thought you’d like to know that. They are happy.”
Two lines dented her brow. “I was thinking about them, especially Evie. How did you know.. oh, you read my mind?”
“I read your aura. It is less intrusive. And I saw in your file, which is not a recording of your misdeeds…” he touched her nose, “as mischievous as you can be, Lacey, but a recording of your life. Your entire life.”
Two big woebegone eyes met his gaze. “It wasn’t very pretty. Must have made for crappy reading material.”
“I’ve read worse.” But never had he read words that infuriated him as much as the black ink on the parchment. As if he shared a special connection with this young, rebellious dragon.
Her lips quirked in a slight smile. “I hope you skipped over the part where I ate the filling on all my foster mother’s Oreo cookies and then filled them with toothpaste. I did it before leaving for summer camp so she couldn’t punish me.”
“That part was most entertaining. You were a naughty girl,” he said softly.
Her gaze finally cleared and sparked with the life he admired. “Still am. I have to keep up my rep. Whatcha gonna do about it, wizard?”
Drust’s gaze dropped to her mouth. Kissing her back at the bar had been impulsive, brought on by fury over that male taunting her and mishandling her. It was a kiss. Nothing more.
So why did he have the urge to do it again? And again, coaxing her mouth to respond to him and drawing her into the dance of passion until she surrendered to what they both felt for each other?
He inhaled deeply. Must control this. She’s your charge. Off limits.
But he had to admit to himself he wanted her the way a man wants a woman in the night. Drust drew in another deep breath and took five steps back, away from the sweet temptation of her mouth as she licked her lips.
“It’s late and you require rest. You are run down for what faces you ahead. In the morning, we shall talk.”
Lacey narrowed her eyes. “I suppose you’re right. I’m wiped out. But if you think I’m going to blab over bacon and eggs and hash browns you whip up for me, you’re wrong.”
A smile touched his mouth. He enjoyed sparring with her like this. “I do not whip up. Perhaps a restaurant meal is an option. Now, go to bed.”
She made no move for the hallway.
“I shall remain here, all night,” he added. “I do not require much sleep, so there is no need for a bed.”
Unless you wish to do other activities one usually does in bed. Such as getting naked and then…
He tried to will the thought away, but it danced in his mind, sorely tempting him.
“You’re not going to like this, wizard. You’re not spending the night.”
His smile broadened. “That is, what is the saying? What you think.”
She went to bed with a full belly and a wizard sitting in her living room. Lacey locked her door in case he wandered during the night.
And there was not a damn thing she could do about the wizard.
Drust could do whatever he pleased, and she was powerless to stop him. A locked door would never stop him.
At least he’d finally stopped staring at her mouth, as if he’d longed to kiss her again. Because she really wanted him to kiss her.
And keep kissing her.
Lacey wasn’t stupid or naïve. Though she’d never had sex before, she knew the pull of sexual desire, knew that the wizard desired her as a man desired a woman. She felt the same.
When they were together, sparks flew. Literally. She groaned and punched her pillow. Sleep with that man in her house proved impossible. At least she felt confident he could not find the book. It was secure, in the last place anyone would think to look.
Using one or two of the spells inside the book might help he
r current financial situation. Then again, it was risky. Look what happened to Chase? Evie’s love and now her mate might be toast by now, because she’d failed to make the correct formula for the dragonspice potion.
At least Evie was happy now. Lacey felt thrilled for her sister. And yet she felt wistful for herself. Not that she wanted a man in her life. She had trouble enough managing her own problems.
Mentally she racked over things Drust might find in the living room if he decided to snoop. Fortunately, most of her good items had already been sold in a vain attempt to stall the bank on foreclosing.
A whirring sound ensued. Lacey bolted upright.
“Oh no,” she moaned.
She’d forgotten about the discreet package she’d received the other day, the object that still sat in the box. Her one luxury, purchased online and on sale.
Drust found it.
Mortified, Lacey dashed into the living room to find the all-powerful Coldfire Wizard sitting on her sofa, frowning at the Magick Massager Deluxe. In red. Boxed in a fire engine red box, it looked like a small toy.
But definitely was not meant for children.
He glanced up and politely stood as she entered the room, grinding to an abrupt halt as she stared at him. “Put that down.”
“I was searching for the instrument that turns on the television and I found this on the table. You purchased a rabbit that quivers.” He held up the object and frowned. “For what purpose?”
Stomach trembling, she crossed the room and held out her hand. “You snooped. It’s mine. Give that to me.”
He held it out of reach as she danced around him, feeling awkward in her faded blue pajamas with the leaping white bunnies on them, almost as awkward as knowing the all-powerful Coldfire Wizard had his hands on her new vibrator.
Drust looked at her with those incredible, piercing blue eyes. “What is this?”
“It’s, it’s a massager.” Lordy her face felt on fire.
The wizard turned the vibrator over in his hand, and flicked a finger over the rabbit’s tail. “What does it do?”
“Things that most men do not. Give it to me!”
Drust stared at the red rabbit and squinted. “Ah, I see. This is a pleasure-giving instrument for females?”
Heat crawled up her neck. She felt certain her face turned the color of the instrument. “Uh, yeah.”
Fascination stole over his expression. “Truly, this world has many modern wonders. Where do you apply it?”
Her mouth moved up and down. Speechless, she could not answer. The last thing she expected tonight was to have this conversation about… vibrators. With a centuries old wizard!
Horrified, she watched him rummage in the box and pull out the instructions. He began to read aloud. “For excellent clitoral suction and deep tissue action. Comes in three speeds. Ah, so the woman applies it to her genitals.”
Holding the vibrator, he stared at the settings. Drust frowned. “What is this turbo?”
He clicked a button and the rabbit began vibrating like it was stuck in a wind tunnel. Could she blush anymore?
“It is most powerful. I daresay a woman using this should apply caution and be prepared to not walk for an hour or two nor operate heavy machinery in her condition.”
Was that a wink he gave her? Lacey’s mouth opened wider. She was flummoxed.
Was he… playing with her again?
Drust turned the rabbit over and then found the OFF switch.
Setting the vibrator down on the coffee table he cocked his head. “Although it says it runs off batteries. I should think by now solar powered devices would be available in this day and age.”
Lacey snatched up the rabbit and shoved it in the box.
Amusement curved his mouth. “Truly, Lacey, if you wish something to suction your pleasure center, why not find a dragon? A real dragon, not this.”
“Because real dragons suck, and not the way this vibrator does, you snoop. Women have the right to orgasms as much as men do, even if we don’t have erections. We need satisfaction too, understand?”
He nodded. “I do. Not achieving satisfaction for men can be quite painful on the genitals. Tristan told me there is a term for it.”
“Blue balls.” She couldn’t believe they were having this conversation. “And it’s none of your damn business what I do with my personal life! What the hell do you care anyway?”
He ran a hand through his short black hair and for the first time, she saw a weariness in him. “I do care. You are my charge.”
She couldn’t help feeling confused. No one had ever said they cared before. Not in a long time. “You do?”
A wry smile touched his sensual mouth. “Yes I do, and I wish nothing bad to happen to you. Nothing more than that rabbit would deliver in making you incapacitated. I refer to the book, Lacey. The longer it remains in your possession, the more endangered you are. Hand it over or you risk destruction yourself.”
“You just said you care, and now you’re saying you will destroy me?”
Drust pointed to the sofa. “Sit.” Seeing her lower lip jut out, he added quietly, “Please.”
She sat.
His mouth twitched. “Nice bunnies. I can see you have an affinity for rabbits. I do not wish to hurt you. But in the end, if you refuse to surrender the book, it will corrupt you as it did your father. If you use a spell from it, the power you seek and crave will work its dark enchantment into your soul.”
Lacey fisted her hands in her lap. “Then why did you guys create it if it’s nothing but evil?”
Drust stared into the distance. “I had nothing to do with it. I was in the Shadow Lands, the afterworld, when one of my brethren created it for someone he loved. I know not the details, only that it was a mistake.”
Suddenly she cared not about the book, but what Drust endured during his purgatory in the Shadow Lands. “What is it like being there, in the afterworld?”
“I told you, I have no desire to discuss my past. Stop snooping into my life.”
His curt tone did not dissuade her. “You just snooped into my private life, Drust. Only fair that you tell me a little something in return.”
Drust braced his hands on his knees. Finally he nodded. When he lifted his head, anguish filled his blue eyes.
“It is quite lonely, a loneliness you will never understand, I hope. You remain trapped in your own cage, regretting all the mistakes you made as a mortal. If not for Tristan and Nikita, I suppose I would remain there.”
He glanced at her. “That is a story for another time. You need rest. Go back to bed.”
But she did not want sleep. She wanted to curl up on the sofa with him, listen to him talk about his life, know more about him and how he became a wizard. Lacey no longer wanted to antagonize Drust. She wanted to know more about him, maybe even do exactly as he wished, for he did state he cared about her.
Maybe she could make them a late drink, and they could stay up and talk and truly get to know each other.
For a moment, she almost suggested it. Words failed her. Instead, all she could do was stare at him, licking her lips as if she’d seen something quite tasty, but did not dare risk trying it.
Yet.
“Lacey.” Drust’s voice deepened. “Go to bed, unless you wish me to join you there.”
This time her mouth opened and closed like a goldfish’s. “My v-vibrator, I mean, the rabbit.”
His smile widened. “If you have need of it during the night, I will bring it to you.”
Laughter followed her as she scurried back to the safety of her bedroom.
But she left the door unlocked this time.
Seldom had she ever dreamed. And if she did, she never remembered her dreams. Lacey had always supposed that was a blessing, for she used to have nightmares about her childhood and Melanie, such visceral and real nightmares that she woke up drenched in cold sweat, biting back a scream from her mouth.
After a month of suffering through that and worrying her real mother, Lace
y taught herself to fall into a deep, dreamless sleep. Always worked.
Until tonight.
Tonight, she did not dream of her nightmarish childhood. Instead she dreamed of a young woman, perhaps in her early twenties, wearing strange, medieval clothing – a long cloth gown, perhaps homespun brown, her long brown hair bound back and kept away from her neck.
She was filling a wood bucket from a well, in the middle of a town square.
Her sweaty grip on the bedsheets eased. Nothing harmful about a well or a bucket.
Lacey fell deep into the dream.
Her name was Lucinda, but everyone called her Lucy. Everyone except him. He called her Minda. His Minda.
Such a clear bright day, the blue sky cloudless. Blue as the eyes of her secret lover. They must keep their love a secret, he’d told her. In public, he would ignore her and perhaps even insult her. But she could know it was all to cover up his true feelings from his peers and friends, for he was of noble dragon blood, and high in position to King Emer, the Fae King who ruled over them all.
And then her blood quickened as she caught his scent, woodsy and spices, and heard his deep voice. Heard his infectious chuckle, the laugh that lightened her day.
Minda finished pulling up the water. A little sloshed over the side from her trembling hands. Knowing she would see him tonight, in their secret place in the woods, where they would kiss and make love until dawn streaked the sky and he had to leave.
He had no mate, for his mate had died two years ago. But he was highborn and carried much influence.
While I am a simple peasant girl, sometimes mocked by his friends.
Minda set the bucket on the well’s lip as her lover drew closer. Then she gathered her composure and dared to turn around.
Head bent as if in concentration, he walked with two companions she recognized. Tristan Kearney, a Lupine shifter and noble who fought for King Emer. Tristan was kind, but the other was a Fae, and arrogant and cruel. Sir Hugh of Balreath held King Emer’s ear, but was no warrior like Tristan.
Or her lover, Drust, Tristan’s best friend.
Then her lover lifted his head, his burning blue gaze meeting hers. For an instant perhaps, his expression turned tender. Then he looked arrogant once more.
THE MATING CLAIM: Werewolves of Montana Book 14 Page 8