by Rinelle Grey
He really was besotted.
He should be questioning her, subtly, trying to find out what she knew about dragons, what she’d been doing at the lair. Dragons were a subject of interest to everyone right now, asking what she thought of them could be a simple ice breaker.
To anyone who hadn’t been at a dragon lair anyway. He couldn’t help thinking that she’d view the question differently, and right now, he didn’t want to risk making her uneasy. That wasn’t a good way to find out what he wanted to know. It had nothing to do with him not wanting her to hate him.
And failing that, he couldn’t think of a single thing to ask her, not one thing that mattered. He already knew everything he needed to know.
Apparently, that wasn’t the case for Mora. She had more than enough questions for both of them. “So, where are you from?” her question brought him back to reality with a thud.
Finn’s mind went blank. He’d had a cover story all planned out, but suddenly he couldn’t remember any of it.
Stick as close to the truth as possible. That was best. He just had to remember not to mention that he was a police officer, and most definitely not that he was here to investigate her. Everything else was fair game.
“Just across on the mainland,” he said with a jerk of his head. “This is my first time out here to the islands though.”
She raised an eyebrow. “How long have you lived there?”
Finn knew exactly what she was getting at. “My whole life,” he admitted. “And yeah, I know it’s strange that I haven’t come out here, but… I just never had any reason to.”
“Until now.” Mora sounded thoughtful. She stared at him as though his response was suspicious. But she couldn’t possibly know, could she?
No, there was no way. Finn took a few slow breaths, trying to calm his pulse, to slow his mind and gain control of his thoughts. Him freaking out would be a dead giveaway. “Well, I needed a relaxing holiday. Seemed pointless to travel far from home if I didn’t have to.”
Yeah, almost none of that was true. But it did fit well enough with his story.
Their food arrived then, plates of crunchy golden chips and battered prawns. Mora thanked the waiter by name, and both of them paused their conversation to eat.
Finn hadn’t tasted anything so good in a long time. The chips were just the right amount of crunchy, and the prawns were full of flavour. He almost forgot their conversation, until Mora asked, “So what was so stressful that you needed to escape?”
Finn paused, a chip half way to his mouth. How had this come to be about him? Finn searched for some way to turn the questions back on her. He ate the chip slowly and deliberately, then said, “That’s enough about me. I’m boring. I want to know about you. So how long have you worked here on the island?”
She stared at him for a moment, then laughed. “Evasive much?”
He shrugged. “Look who’s talking.”
He should have been worried about blowing his cover or about the fact that she was clearly keeping secrets. Instead, he couldn’t help enjoying the back and forth, the banter.
Perhaps Mora was too, because she was smiling. “Touché. How about we talk about something else then?”
Finn thought quickly. Why was she being so evasive? It wasn’t like he was asking about the dragon’s lair. Why did she feel the need to hide the fact that her parents owned the resort? Was there any connection with her trip?
Stupid question. Her parents owned a resort, one called Dragon Island Hideaway. And she was somehow involved with dragons. There had to be a connection, right? But what was it? Were they dragon worshippers or something? Were they obsessed with dragons, and when real ones had appeared, gone to find them?
Had they created this place as… what? Somewhere for dragons to hide if they needed to?
Maybe there was a dragon here right now?
That thought made his blood run cold. Flashbacks of that moment in the police car, the dragon’s eyes whirling at him, raced through his head, and he felt like he was shivering and sweating at the same time.
Mora was staring at him, her head on one side, her expression concerned, almost as if she knew he was freaking out.
Well, his panic was probably written all over his face.
“Are you okay?” she asked softly. She reached out and covered his hand with hers, and suddenly he could breathe again. He’d been panicking over nothing. It had happened a few times since that incident. But his panic didn’t indicate there were actually dragons here. That was just his mind running away with him.
Finn made himself take a deep breath. “Yeah, just… was thinking about stuff at work. It really stresses me out.”
She didn’t look convinced. In fact, her frown deepened. “You said you came here because of stress at work, but this seems like a little more than that.”
Finn was both moved that she realised, and afraid that things were getting a little too close to the truth for comfort. “Yeah, it is,” he admitted. “But I really don’t want to talk about it.”
Mora stared at him for a few more moments, and again Finn found himself tempted to tell her everything. Was it because he felt so close to her? Even forgetting the fact that he had secrets to keep, he wasn’t usually one to open up to friends, let alone strangers.
She waited, as though to see if he would say something, and Finn almost held his breath to keep the admissions silent.
He was relieved when she sat back and let it go. Instead she said casually, “So, have you picked out any activities you want to do while you’re here, or are you just going to relax on the beach?”
It was on the tip of his tongue to tell her that her brother had suggested he go sailing. Somehow, he felt like she would get a kick out of that. But he reminded himself just in time that she had no idea he knew Damien was her brother.
“Uh… I don’t know yet. I’ve just been settling in. Anything you recommend?”
She was probably going to tell him to go sailing too. It probably ran in the family.
Maybe he should give it a go?
When Finn realised what he was thinking, he only just managed to suppress a groan. He had it bad. He’d always known when his friends had a new girlfriend because they suddenly started trying things they’d always insisted they’d hated. He’d always maintained he would never do that.
And now it had happened without him even realising it.
Finn held his breath, waiting for her to tell him she liked sailing, waiting to hear the words come out of his mouth, saying it sounded like fun.
Instead, she regarded him thoughtfully for a moment. Then she leaned in and said a little conspiratorially, “I don’t normally admit this, being on a tropical island and all, but I’m not a big beach fan. When I’m looking for some peace and quiet, I go on one of the bushwalks up the mountain.”
Finn could almost feel the peace and quiet emanating from her suggestion. That actually sounded very relaxing. No people. No rush. Definitely no dragons. They wouldn’t fit between the trees. Just the sound of birds and wind rustling in the leaves.
He knew he was being completely genuine when he said, “That actually sounds lovely. I’ll have to give that a go.”
Mora smiled, and he felt it again, that connection passing between them as if there was some unspoken communication they’d shared. It might have freaked him out except it felt so normal. Natural.
Beautiful.
He wasn’t sure how long they sat like that, staring at each other wordlessly, but the sound of someone clearing their throat nearby snapped him out of his daydream. He glanced up to see Mora’s brother, Damien, standing near their table, glaring at them. There was a woman with him, her arm through his, and they were obviously together. She looked more amused than irritated though.
Finn’s mind worked overtime. Neither of them knew he was aware they were brother and sister. He needed to keep that ruse until they let it slip. So he did his best to keep his expression neutral as he said, “Is there a problem?”
>
Mora leaned back in her chair. Her amused expression held a healthy dose of irritation. “Finn, meet my brother, Damien.”
Well, that was quick. Finn quickly wiped his hands and stood up. He held out his hand to Damien. “Hi. We met at the atrium, when I arrived.”
Damien ignored his hand, and his greeting. Instead he glared at both of them. “What’s going on here?”
A snappy retort rose to Finn’s lips, but he bit it down. He probably didn’t want to antagonise her brother. Instead, he looked to Mora, and waited to see what she was going to say.
Chapter 6
Morian was half tempted to tell Damrian to get lost. She was confused enough about what she was feeling for Finn without him butting in with his overprotective… butt.
Instead she said, “Eating, Damien. Everyone has to do it. Or do you object to me eating for some reason?” She wouldn’t put it past him. Maybe he wanted to cut her food into little pieces so she couldn’t choke on it.
Zara giggled. “Leave her alone, Dam. Can’t you see she’s having fun?” She bumped her hip up against Damrian’s.
Maybe her brothers having mates wasn’t so bad. Maybe those mates could drum some sense into them.
Damrian though, didn’t so much as crack a smile. “I’m not objecting to you eating, I’m objecting to your company.”
Morian winced at that and glanced over at Finn, hoping Damrian’s words hadn’t upset him. He was looking decidedly uncomfortable, but not distressed. Her life dragon senses told her the same thing.
Satisfied, she turned and glared at Damrian. “Who I’m eating with is none of your business.”
To her surprise, Damrian turned his attention to Finn. “Did you two meet on the mainland? Did you follow her here? Did you know I was her brother? Was that why you were so chatty earlier?” He fired off all the questions with barely a breath in between.
Morian frowned. “What are you talking about, Dam? We only just met. I saw him on the ferry, and then he helped me out with that lovers’ tiff earlier. He asked me out, and I agreed. Nothing more sinister going on here. He had no idea you were my brother until just now.” She didn’t even try to keep the amusement out of her voice.
Damrian was taking his overprotection to a whole new level, thinking Finn was chatting him up to get to her.
But even as she thought it, she sensed Finn’s discomfort increase, as though her words had made him feel guilty.
As though he were hiding something.
She turned to stare at him only to have him look away.
He turned to look at Damrian, not really surprising considering her brother was badgering him, but still, Morian couldn’t shake the feeling she was missing something.
What could it possibly be? Could Finn have somehow known Damrian was her brother? That was all she could think of, and even that was a stretch.
“Are you sure of that?” Damrian’s voice sounded ominous, perhaps more so because it echoed what she’d just been thinking. “Because you don’t seem so sure.” Damrian’s second comment was for her and her alone, spoken straight into her mind via dragon speech.
Which meant he was serious. Damrian wasn’t just giving her a hard time.
Morian looked over at Finn, and this time he met her gaze without wavering. He gave a slight shrug. “I chatted with your brother earlier out of politeness. Nothing more. It was a minor conversation. I asked what it was like working here, and then I asked what activities he recommended.” He gave a slight grin. “He suggested sailing.”
His explanation had a ring of truth to it, especially the bit about sailing.
This time Morian’s dragon senses were on high alert. It would have been hard to miss the fact that he was hiding something.
But she couldn’t be convinced that it was anything nefarious.
She didn’t know Finn at all, but she’d hardly be feeling this connection to him if he were here to cause trouble, would she? Besides, what kind of ulterior motive could he possibly have?
She turned and glared at her brother. “Yes, I’m sure,” she said back in kind. Then out loud. “Can you take your paranoid overprotectiveness somewhere else? It’s spoiling my dinner.”
“Look, I know you don’t like us trying to watch out for you, but there’s something about him, Morian. I’m sure he’s up to something, and right now, you know we can’t be too careful. Perhaps it might be best if you cut tonight short.” Damrian’s voice in her head was reasonable. Too reasonable.
But he couldn’t hide his real emotions from her. She could sense the overprotective surge almost flowing from him. This wasn’t about protecting the resort—it was about protecting her.
It always was.
“Like you waited? And Hayrian?” she demanded, her dragon voice loud and defiant. “Did either of you think of what it might mean for the resort when you were mating? How about when you found out Hayrian’s mate’s ex was one of the senators in the dragon talks? Did either of you even think to call it off?”
“That was different,” Damrian said, but his voice was resigned. He knew he didn’t have a leg to stand on.
Morian jumped on his flimsy excuse before he could recover. “Different how? Because you’re big strong men who know what they’re doing, and I’m a helpless little female who is blinded by lust? Come on, Damrian, that’s rubbish, and you know it. I’m a life dragon. I can read people. If Finn was up to anything, I’d know far better than either of you could.”
“And you’re certain he has no ulterior motive?”
Morian hesitated. Her brother wouldn’t be able to tell if she was lying, not magically anyway, water magic didn’t help with that. But still she felt bad not revealing everything. She’d never kept a secret from her brothers before.
On the other hand, she knew if she let slip that she could sense Finn was hiding something, Damrian would never let it go. And she wanted the chance to find out what was going on. If she couldn’t, she’d call this off.
Even as she thought it, she knew it would be difficult to do.
But she’d do it if necessary. Because she was a dragon. One who did what was best for her family and her clan, even if it cost her.
That knowledge helped her stick out her chin and stare at Damrian. “I am certain he means me no harm.”
There, that wasn’t a lie. No matter how certain she was Finn was hiding something, she was equally certain he wouldn’t hurt her. She couldn’t explain how she knew—she just did. And she’d learnt long ago that her hunches, backed by life dragon magic, were always right.
Damrian scowled at her, and for a moment she thought he was going to continue to object, at least in her head. Maybe even out loud. Would he really cause a scene right here in the middle of the Fins and Ships? Was he taking this that seriously?
Before she could find out, Zara tugged on his arm. “Dam? I’m hungry. Can we go eat?”
For a moment, Morian thought he was going to shake her off and continue the argument, but then he paused. He looked at his mate, and Morian could almost see the silent communication passing between them. She could definitely see Damrian’s defensive posture relax.
Apparently Morian wasn’t the only one he was conversing with in dragon speech.
“Fine.” Damrian’s agreement was terse, but Morian didn’t care. He’d agreed.
Almost.
He turned to stare at Finn for a moment, then said softly, “Mora has three older brothers, all of whom would die to protect her. Hurt her at your own risk.”
Finn stared at him for a moment, then blinked a couple of times before holding up his hands and saying, “It’s just dinner, mate.”
Damrian didn’t look impressed, but he did turn and leave.
Morian heaved a sigh of relief.
Now all she had to do was find out what Finn was hiding.
Chapter 7
So much for her brother being a potential source of information.
Or maybe Damien had given away more than he’d meant to.
&nb
sp; Finn watched him go thoughtfully. He hadn’t expected that sort of outburst from Mora’s brother. It could just be overprotectiveness, he’d heard that was normal for older brothers, but it could possibly signify something more. Like maybe he knew about whatever had been going on at the dragon lair.
Which made sense the more he thought about it. If Damien reacted that way to Mora having a casual dinner with someone, how would he have reacted to her travelling so far away? Especially if she hadn’t told him where she was going.
No, her brother had to know about her visit to the dragon lair.
That explained his strange behaviour. He was protecting not only his sister, but their secret as well. Whatever that was.
That also probably explained the tension Finn had sensed during their discussion. It had been so intense it had almost crackled in the air. Finn had never felt anything like it before.
Well, except for that day out at the dragon lair. Damien’s attitude towards him had been strangely reminiscent of the dragon leader’s glare. At least Damien’s eyes hadn’t whirled or changed in any way.
For a moment, Finn felt panic rising inside his chest. Was this a sign? Could Damien be a dragon?
His heart pounded, and he felt short of breath.
Unfortunately it was a sensation he was fast coming to recognise. It didn’t signal danger, it signalled his imagination running wild again. Finn took a few slow breaths, and after a brief moment, he felt the panic receding.
Once his breathing and heart had slowed, he felt a little foolish.
Gah. He was imagining ghosts everywhere, just as he’d been doing every day since the incident. During his first week back at work, he’d almost accused his superior officer for staring at him, sure that even his office had been infiltrated.
He needed to get a hold of himself, especially since Mora was staring at him.
“I’m sorry about Damien,” she said softly. She made a face. “He and Hayden and Rowan think I’m still a little girl with pigtails, who they have to stop from drowning in the ocean.”
The image that popped up in his mind helped him push away any remaining fearful fabrications. Damien wasn’t a dragon. Neither was Mora. They might be involved with dragons, but there was no way dragons could own and run a resort for more than twenty years. Or have driver’s licences. Someone would have noticed.