by Emma Nichols
I found her in the kitchen, leaning over the sink, looking like she wanted to be sick. “You okay?” I asked as I wrapped an arm around her waist.
Biting her cheek, she slowly gazed up at me. “I guess we need to talk, huh?”
I nodded while a smiled played on the corner of my lips. “I think that would make sense. Somehow, I feel a story coming on.”
Peri
* * *
“It’s not a story so much as it is a different history.” I carefully took his hand in mine and gently pulled for him to come with me. To my surprise, he did. Though I was worried he’d pull away from me, or reject me, he merely held me as tightly as he had before he watched me perform my magic on our driver. When we reached the table, I picked up a pen and on the paper above the family tree, I wrote a name above the first dragon: Sabine.
“Sabine?” His brow furrowed and I knew he had no idea why I’d add her to the genealogy.
“She’s the creator of dragon shifters. I believe you refer to her as ‘sorceress’ in your version of history.” I waited patiently for his response.
Mishal nodded. “I’m listening, Peri. Talk to me.”
I inhaled deeply, careful to control my emotions. “I’m one of her descendants. Let me tell you the rest of the story.”
“I should’ve known there was more,” he murmured.
“There’s always more. History is written by the victor, remember?” I shrugged.
“Tell me out here,” he suggested, his arm now around my waist as he tried to lead me into the living room.
I played along. I sat where he wanted me. After all, my family had been on the losing end of history for nearly a thousand years and our role had been nearly blotted out ever since. I curled up in a corner of the couch and he plopped down in the middle, giving me absolutely no room to breathe, and I rather liked it. Despite my sadness and my fear, deep down, I had strange stirrings and I knew they were about this dragon shifter.
“Once upon a time, there was a sorceress named Sabine who held in her heart a great love for the king of a once-great kingdom. The city had been under attack for many years and finally an accord had been struck. The king would marry his daughter off to the prince of their enemy. This union would bring peace and great wealth in the form of her dowry.” I glanced at him briefly before reaching out to take his hand in mine. Closing my eyes, I felt the thrum of energy between us which, while unnerving wasn’t altogether unpleasant.
“Go on,” Mishal urged, even as he squeezed my hand tighter.
“Of course.” I took a breath and adjusted my position on the couch to lean forward instead of back. “While the princess was being transported to the Turks to take her vows, a dragon kidnapped her and killed most of her entourage. When the king found out, he called upon his knights to battle the dragon, and when they ultimately failed, he reached out to his trusted sorceress, Sabine, to rescue his daughter. She made her way to the dragon’s lair, which was little more than a cave in the cliffs over the ocean. Though she expected to find the princess miserable and frightened, Sabine found the princess curled up in his arms, singing to him, nuzzling up to him, and the dragon was practically purring.” I chuckled.
“I know this story. Sabine made the dragon into a man, and he became the first dragon shifter.” Mishal grew serious. “Tell me more about Sabine. What happened next?”
“This is where your historical account ends, but where it suddenly becomes interesting for my family.” I shook my head. “See, Sabine returned to the king. She explained what happened. He was furious. All he saw was the end of his kingdom, the loss of money, the continued war.” My eyes flashed as I looked at him. “The king was a ruthless, greedy man, and yet Sabine loved him.”
“Sounds like he was worse than the dragon.” Mishal frowned.
I nodded. “Oh, he was. He blamed Sabine, threw her in the dungeons without hearing her out. It took a month before he could bring himself to look at her. By then, her love had turned to hatred. She told the king she would’ve married him. He’d been a widower for years. She told him he would’ve wanted for nothing.” I released his hand and rubbed my temples. This part of the story always made me hurt. “The king laughed and told her he wanted no part of marriage to her. She had no dowry. She had no title. In his world, she had nothing to offer.” Pain shot through my temple and I winced.
“You okay, cupcake?” Mishal reached out and gathered me into his arms. He pressed my head to his chest and rocked me, comforting me like he would a child.
I sniffled. “You still see me as that little girl who wanted nothing more than to curl up in your lap every night,” I mumbled.
He froze and pushed me back from his chest so he could look me in the eye. “Actually, no…I don’t. That thought never occurred to me. Instead, I wanted to comfort a woman I’ve quickly grown to…care about.” Mishal finger-combed my hair, rubbing my scalp as he wound his fingers through my wavy tresses.
“You mean it?” I whispered, feeling more hopeful than I had in such a long time.
Leaning down, he pressed his forehead to mine, then slowly met my eyes until we were staring at each other. Pangs of longing hit me in the heart and where once I felt strange tingles, a fire now raged. A whimper escaped my lips and then nothing because his lips were against mine. Part of me wanted nothing more than to give in to this temptation. But the sensible part overruled and insisted I finish what I’d started. I pulled back and pressed my fingers to his mouth. “Wait,” I whispered. “There’s so much more you need to know before…before you kiss me again.”
He pulled my fingers from his face so he could speak. “You think I won’t want to after that, huh?” Mishal shook his head. “Just hurry up so I can prove you wrong.” He grinned, then tucked me under his chin. “Continue.”
I licked my lips, wondering where to pick up the story. “When the king refused her, humiliated her, she lost it. Heartbroken, she never considered the ramifications of her words. She didn’t even think of them as a spell. They were just the ramblings of a scorned sorceress.”
“She cursed him. Good for Sabine.” Mishal chuckled.
“Ah, but also bad for Sabine, almost as bad as for the king. See, spells should always be made with caution. We’re now taught to watch the wording, pay attention to our emotions, and remember the rule of three.” I sighed.
“What’s the rule of three?”
“Whatever we do comes back to us threefold, good or bad. Cursing is no joke. Sabine became a cautionary tale. She told him he’d never know love, he’d lose all his wealth, and he’d lose all his power,” I whispered. This part of the story still gave me shivers. “The kingdom was overthrown. The coffers were empty. And because he was truly a terrible person, not a single soul loved him, except maybe his son. As the castle began to crumble under the Turk’s attack, one of the knights rescued Sabine and they ran off together, but she was never the same again.”
Mishal quietly digested the tale before asking, “How so?”
“Well, though the knight loved her, she had no love in her heart. Their union was fruitful in that they had children, but there was no love, no money, and she’d grown afraid of using her magic, so in a sense she lost her power too.” I bit my cheek and nuzzled deeper into his chest.
“And since?” He wondered. “What has become of your line in the last…what, nearly nine hundred years?”
6
Mishal
* * *
“Well, I’m no sorceress, if that’s what you mean.” Peri sighed. “We’re pretty much third tier now, and some of us have no magic at all.”
My eyes widened. “Fredo?”
She shook her head. “He has no magical abilities.”
“And what’s third tier? There are tiers of magic?” My mind was reeling with all I learned.
“Oh, sorry. Sorceress is first tier. Then wizards. I’m in with witches and warlocks.” Peri licked her lips as she stared up at me. “I’m not sure whether I’m lucky or unlucky to have any
magical ability at all.”
I held her closer. “You’re very lucky.” She growled, pushed off my chest, and climbed out of my lap, leaving me feeling both sad and scared. Dragons don’t scare. What the hell was going on with me? I stared at Peri who looked equally disconcerted. “Did I say something…?”
She wrapped her arms around her body and paced. “It’s not you. I’m just…confused.”
“Me too,” I grumbled as I leaned forward and held my head. “Why do you keep pushing me away?”
Whipping around, she glared at me. “Devon was just murdered. I knew I wasn’t his mate, but I adored him.” Peri shook her head. “Ugh. I thought I adored him. Then you come along. And in a matter of hours, you have me feeling things…strange and unexpected things.”
She gathered up her hair and dropped it over her shoulder to spill down her chest. I watched in fascination. Then I scratched the back of my neck and stood, closing the distance between us in a number of steps. “I’ve guarded some of the most beautiful women in the world,” I began, while she glared at me. “I haven’t touched any of them. Ever. Never wanted to. Not even when they threw themselves at me.” I leaned low so we were at eye level. “You, I can’t keep my hands off of. I can’t let you get more than a few inches from me. You think I know how to handle any of this, how to prepare for this, after hundreds of years alone?” I lifted her up. “I don’t. So, I’m hoping we muddle through this together.”
Peri stiffened in my arms. “Why would you want anything to do with me? I’m nobody. I have nothing to offer you.”
I chuckled. “That’s not true. Nothing could be farther from the truth.” Then I heard sirens in the distance and remembered we couldn’t even think like this. Not yet. “Let’s figure this out later. You could be in danger.” I set her on her feet and walked over to the table. I stared at the papers strewn across the wooden surface, scanning, hoping something would pop out at me. “We know the victims are all young, unmated, but successful.”
She joined me at the table. The change of topic seemed to make her feel more at ease. “What are you saying?”
“Well, where did their money go? That’s what we haven’t looked at.” I wrapped an arm around her waist and sighed. “For the record, I’m not done with our other conversation, but we both know before we can even think about our future, we need to tackle this first.”
“Agreed.” She stared up at me sadly. Then she turned her attention to the challenge at hand. “So, in order to figure this out, I think we should follow the money.” Then Peri stepped away from me and flipped through one of the piles on the far end of the table. “Less than an hour before his death, Devon finalized his will.” She passed me two.
Holding them side by side, I examined them one page at a time. “So, Devon left everything to you.” I swallowed hard. “Obviously, he cared about you.”
“Yeah,” Peri murmured.
“And trusted you.” I watched as she nodded slowly. “What’s with the two wills?”
“Oh, one he wrote, the other was crafted by Spencer Morse of Abingdon, Betters, and Morse.” She stared at me. “I think there’s something to it.”
I scanned the original will. “Everything was supposed to go to the Reclaim the Kingdom Project.” Sitting down hard, I leaned back and rubbed my temples. “The answer couldn’t be that easy, right?”
Sitting in the seat across from me, Peri blew out a breath. “We need to find out who runs the charity, who’s on the board of directors.”
“Yeah, and we need to find out if the other dragons’ estates went there too.” I reached for my cell and started the search on Safari. “This is going to be a challenge, researching on the phone.”
She frowned. “I didn’t bring my laptop. This wasn’t supposed to be a working weekend. And I lost my phone in the scuffle.”
“No, you didn’t.” I rushed up the stairs and pulled her phone out of my costume. Then I skipped down the steps while holding it out to her. “I called it to find you. Instead, I found the phone in the grass and saw you being chased.”
Peri shook her head. “Just when I was coping with the loss and thinking I’m cut off from the world, you saved me.”
“Happy to help. You two can get reacquainted while I contact my team.” I winked. Then I sent a quick email to my second in command, explaining I needed information on the 403b. I paused thinking out loud. “I’m pretty sure we can access the wills too. They should’ve been filed for probate after which they become public record.” I typed madly on my phone. “Read aloud those names for me, the deceased dragons.”
“Well, Devon of course, but his won’t be filed and we have it anyway. So: Justice Draco.”
“Oh, I’ll need the state too.” My finger hovered over the screen while I waited.
“Washington. Ezra Draco in New York. Blake Draco was in England,” she murmured absently while she rifled through the papers to find the information I requested.
After another ten minutes, we had finalized the request with all pertinent information. “Done.” I smiled triumphantly.
“But it’s Sunday.” She chewed on her cheek.
I shrugged. “We work every day; we’re security. We’ll have our answers soon enough. Most of this is public record.”
Wrapping her arms around her body, she asked, “And what shall we do in the meantime?”
I grinned. “Sleep, of course.” Standing, I walked around the table and held out a hand. “Come on. You look about ready to collapse.”
“I am,” Peri whispered, “but I’m afraid to stop researching too.”
“No arguing.” I scooped her up into my arms. To my delight, she twined her arms around my neck and pressed her head against my chest. Carefully, I carried her up the stairs and into the bedroom. Ever so gently, I laid her on the bed for the second time. This time, she pushed the covers back and wiggled under while I watched. Then I bent down and kissed her forehead. “Rest,” I whispered.
“Where will you sleep?” she asked almost shyly.
I stepped aside and pointed to the chair and ottoman behind me. “There. Don’t worry. I won’t leave you.”
Peri frowned. “Could you sleep here? With me?” There was a pleading look in her eyes. “I feel better with you close.”
I inhaled deeply. “I understand. I feel the same way.” I studied her face. “Are you sure?”
She nodded happily. “I’ve never been more positive of anything in my whole life.”
I started toward her. Peri threw the covers back and slid over to make room for me. “I’m not sure if this is going to make you easier or harder to guard,” I joked as I drew her against my side.
“Doesn’t matter. I’m going to sleep better. That’s what counts.” Then she laid her head against my chest and quickly fell asleep, leaving me too much time and quiet to think.
Mostly, I tortured myself with regrets about my past, the way I tried so hard to fill the void in me with all those women. Inevitably, they’d want more than I could give, since none of them were my mate. Over time, I learned not to give in to the magnetism, ignore their advances because it ended up being more trouble than it was worth. I analyzed all my bad decisions, which stemmed from this need to prove myself and assert my masculinity after years of being bullied growing up. The years had been long and challenging, but as I laid here holding Peri, I was amazed at how quickly the emptiness had disappeared with her near. “I’d be happy simply holding you every night for the rest of our lives,” I whispered into her hair, “but I’m hoping soon, you’ll let me claim you.”
Peri
* * *
My growling stomach woke me. Mishal was still sound asleep, his arm lazily draped over my hip. The weight of him on my body made me feel happy and safe. Deep inside, there was a contented thrumming which radiated through my abdomen. I’d never experienced anything like this before and I knew it had to mean something. The way Mishal and I couldn’t stop touching, the way we couldn’t stop staring, all this added up to something I
wasn’t ready to think about. I’d barely accepted my wiccan abilities. How the hell would I truly cope with being a dragon shifter’s mate?
Sure, I’d had a bit of a crush on Devon. Every female who met him was drawn to him thanks to the magnetism. For me, I was attracted to the man who spoiled me, who constantly complimented me, and who made me feel wildly important and attractive. Hell, half the attraction was probably knowing there would be no commitment. We weren’t mates. There was never any doubt about that fact.
Rolling over, I stared at Mishal, knowing I wouldn’t be able to walk away from this, not now, not ever. The commitment, the responsibility of it had me tense and nervous, while the loss of Devon had me saddened and scared of what my future might hold. Still, I tried to focus on the positive, like the gorgeous beast of a man wrapped around me. He was insanely tall and ridiculously muscular. His features were absolutely god-like with his long straight nose, his chiseled jawline, and his amazing cheek bones. I ached to run my fingers through his hair, but I wouldn’t let myself give in to anything yet. If we couldn’t find the killer, there was a distinct possibility I’d be arrested for Devon’s murder. I’d heard stories about what happened when dragons lost their mates. I’d never risk hurting Mishal in such a way.
“What are you thinking?” he asked quietly without even opening his eyes.
I bit my lip, struggling to come up with an adequate lie to cover my thoughts and feelings. “You’re a bed hog.” I laughed and shrugged. “There. Happy?”
“Well, we’ll have a king-sized bed and it will never be a problem again.” His eyes opened and fixed on my face.
Inhaling sharply, my heart raced as I imagined what the life he hinted at might actually be like. Really, it sounded lovely. I reached up and pressed my hand to his cheek. “Okay,” I whispered, but I couldn’t look him in the eye. His words offered a special kind of hope and though I wanted to hold on with both hands, instead, I pushed him away and hopped out of bed.