* * *
Kelsie wished she could read Tristan’s mind as she joined him in the art gallery to take some pictures.
He was acting odd since last night, but then again, he always acted a little bit different from most people.
It made her wonder a lot about who he was.
He wasn’t the type to use women. He’d even been a virgin. As her eyes wandered down his long, strong form, taking in the black sweater he was wearing over dark jeans that hugged his muscled thighs, she couldn’t imagine how he had been able to abstain so long.
Didn’t women throw themselves at him?
Maybe the beard prevented that.
She suppressed a giggle as she joined him in front of one of the most beautiful oil paintings she’d ever seen.
It was the Pacific Coast, with its wild gray-blue water, crashing against a cliffside.
“I’ll start here,” she said.
“It’s one of my favorites.” He folded his arms, and the muscles there bunched.
Kelsie had never felt like such a perv as she did around Tristan.
“Mine too,” she said, going over to a padded bench to pull out and set up her gear. “So how did you get all these paintings? It’s a huge collection. Some of these haven’t been seen in fifty years.”
He frowned, folding his arms. “I’ve been collecting for a while.”
“Yeah,” she said. “But you aren’t a hundred years old.”
He didn’t answer, merely walked to the next painting, looking tense.
“I mean, it’s all fine as long as you didn’t steal them,” she joked, testing a few lenses before finding the one she wanted.
“I didn’t,” he said sharply. “I can promise you that.”
“I was just teasing,” she said softly. “What about your parents? Were they into art?”
“No,” he said. “They were into abandoning their children.”
She turned to him with a gasp. “What?”
He stayed facing away from her, arms folded, wide back straight. “Xander and I were… disappointing to them. They moved away, leaving us behind. There was an art museum not far from the group home where I was raised. Going there gave me solace. I promised myself when I had enough money, I would own my own art.”
“And here you are,” she said. “How did you do it?”
“Investing, like I said,” he replied. “I got into the market early.”
She nodded. “Well, you did really well. Each piece I’ve seen belongs in a museum.”
“Where other people can see them you mean.”
She frowned as she looked over at him. “No, you have a right to keep them to yourself. I’m just saying you’ve done well here.” She straightened, letting her camera hang around her neck by the strap. “You know, I can relate on the parent thing.”
“You can?”
“My dad was never around. Then he left my mom when I was like fifteen. Mom was really overwhelmed, so I moved out on my own at eighteen to leave more resources. Worked at the cafe to put myself through school. Now I’m here.”
“Trying to make it as a photographer?”
She nodded. “As we talked about before.”
“That’s not enough.” He shook his head, moving over to the bench to sit down on it. “I want to know everything about you.”
“There isn’t much to say. I love art. I love adventures.” She gave him a teasing look. “And I like spending time with a blue-eyed hottie who is so much deeper than he seems.” She lifted her camera and snapped a picture of him, unable to resist capturing that surprised look he had as she did.
“Why did you do that?” He looked suddenly nervous, and she felt guilty that she’d forgotten about his privacy concerns.
“Oh, that’s just for me,” she said. “Memories, you know?”
His eyes relaxed. “No one else will see it?”
“No.”
He ran a hand through his thick blond hair, and all she could think about was how that hand had felt on her body. How he’d owned her completely. How she couldn’t wait to—
He stood abruptly. “I guess I should leave you in peace.”
“No, stay,” she said. “It’s fun to have company. It won’t affect my pictures, and I can ask you questions about the art.”
His handsome face was tense as he thought about it, but then they heard a light knock on the vault door.
“Tristan? You in there? We need to talk. Where’s the couch?”
Tristan’s face went pale as he suddenly stood. “I’ll take care of that.”
“Take care of what, bastard? Am I interrupting some sexy time in the art room? That’s pretty kinky. You two—”
“Shut up!” Tristan yelled, jogging to the vault door to open it. “Kelsie, I’ll be back in a moment, if that’s okay.”
Xander peeked around the door, waving at her. His eyes were bloodshot, and she wondered how long he’d been out. She couldn’t help feeling slightly fond of Xander just because he was so close to Tristan and because he always seemed to rile Tristan up.
Though, it was clear how much they loved each other.
“Go ahead,” she said. “I’ll just spend some quality time with the art.”
Tristan nodded and left with Xander, the two of them arguing as the door swung shut behind them.
Chapter 12
“Where’s our couch?” Xander asked, leaning back on his plush leather chair in the office he liked to call his “man cave.”
“We have another couch,” Tristan said, hoping to avoid answering directly.
He’d almost blown his cover when he’d lifted the couch with Kelsie on it. But after she’d come there, he couldn’t just leave it in the living room.
He was just glad that, after a hundred years together, he was really good at hiding his thoughts from his brother.
Xander narrowed his eyes at him, his hair still wet from his shower. “You guys did something, didn’t you?”
Shit. “No.”
“Such a bad liar,” Xander said, kicking his feet up on his elegant wood desk. “You don’t do it enough.”
“Should I be lying more?” Tristan asked, leaning back in his seat across from Xander’s desk.
“No,” Xander said. “I suppose not. Anyway, what are your plans with the human?”
Tristan winced a little, hearing his own tone echoed back at him. His nonchalance about humans as if they were all the same, tiny creatures far below them.
Perhaps it had always just been bitterness, since if things had been different, dragons like him would have mated with a human.
If he’d been born a normal red dragon, he would have gone to a pairing ceremony and brought honor to his family by making a strong team with another dragon. Together, they would have shared a mate and helped save the world.
But he’d been born a twin, so everything had been different.
Not that he hated his life. He loved Xander and couldn’t imagine being born without his brother.
But sometimes things did get… lonely.
“Don’t look at me like that,” Xander said in a low voice, looking slightly reluctant. “I know how it feels, being all alone here. I’m not trying to rain on your parade. But this is new territory for me here. Usually, I’m the one getting too involved with humans and risking our safety. I never thought you’d be the one to fall head over heels.”
“I’m not head over heels.” Tristan lied.
“Yes, you are,” Xander said. “Normally, you hate humans. You look at them like bugs. And you never let anyone into your inner sanctum. And if I’m right, you might have even defiled our couch.”
“I did not,” he said. More like sanctified it.
Xander frowned. “Well, fine. I’m not going to make you kiss and tell, but… did you forget you’re a fucking dragon?”
Tristan blinked at his twin. “No, why?”
Xander slammed his hands on the desk, standing up to glare at Tristan. “Because you can’t just fuck around with a human. We’re going to ge
t caught. Plus, she doesn’t know what you are, does she? What are you thinking here? What’s the game plan?”
Tristan was taken aback by just how much sense his brother made. Xander was right. Tristan was usually the careful one. Always watching one step ahead. Always keeping them in the darkness where they’d be safe.
Now he was practically rolling around in the light.
“I don’t know,” Tristan said with a sigh, putting his head in his hands. “I don’t have a game plan.”
Xander slumped back in his chair with a huff. “I’m glad to see you happy. Don’t get me wrong. Even if humans are fickle creatures with bad taste.” He looked to the side, and Tristan wondered if he was thinking about Kelsie’s friend, the one who’d run out on him.
Xander wasn’t used to anyone rejecting him, though as far as Tristan knew, he didn’t really play around with humans.
Xander pinned him with a glare. “It’s just that all these years, you were the safe one. I never had to watch out. You were always pulling me back from anything dangerous. I’m trying to do the same for you.”
“How is Kelsie dangerous?”
Xander gave Tristan a flat look. “She’s sweet, she’s nice, and she looks at you like you have the world in your eyes. How is she not dangerous?”
Tristan could feel his heart pounding in his chest, just thinking of her. “She makes me feel alive. I… can’t imagine life without her.”
“Exactly,” Xander said, shaking his head and making his wet hair fly around like a dog after a bath. “You’ll want her as a mate, and we both know that’s not possible.”
“Why isn’t it possible?” Tristan asked, getting up so he could pace away some of the tension. “Just because we have to hide, just because we can’t work with the other dragons, it doesn’t mean that we can’t find love, right?”
Xander peered up at him. “I can’t believe you’re even saying that. You’re the one who said being with any human would bring the double dragons down on our backs.”
Tristan swore as he turned to the window, looking out at the street below them where workers were moving heavy crates using a dolly. “You’re right. I had forgotten—”
“She must be pretty incredible if she could make you forget.” Xander interrupted, wiggling his eyebrows.
Tristan slumped back in his chair again and raised his eyes to his brother’s. “I’m sorry, Xander. I’m being a hypocrite. I can only hope that, if there was anyone you wanted to be with, that I didn’t ruin—”
“Oh, don’t worry,” Xander said. “My nighttime exploits don’t involve fucking humans.”
“But if—”
“I’ve never met one I wanted,” Xander said, though as his eyes darted to the side, Tristan thought maybe it was a lie.
“Be careful with the vigilante stuff,” Tristan said. “When did you get in last night?”
“It’s fine.” Xander waved a hand. “I’m more worried about this Kelsie stuff. I get that, originally, it was safer for you to show her around than to let her go alone, but is it really safer now that you’re falling for her?”
“I don’t know how to let her go,” Tristan said. “I didn’t think she would want me back.”
Xander raised an eyebrow. “Not want you? Tristan, you’re sexy.”
Tristan frowned. “I don’t want to hear that from you.”
Xander put both hands behind his head and leaned back. “Well, you heard it. Anyway, what are you going to do if you continue? Are you just going to not tell her you’re a fucking dragon? That’s she’s fucking a dragon?”
“She’s fucking me,” Tristan said tersely, then flushed as he realized his mistake.
“Knew it,” Xander said triumphantly.
“Why would she need to know more?” Tristan asked. “If I never shift, then it’s like she’s with a human.”
“Except that you’re going to live forever if someone doesn’t kill you, and you’d need to share blood with her to live together. Plus, we don’t even know if we could mate, since we aren’t part of a triad.”
“I’ve heard rumors,” Tristan said. “Of double dragons that don’t work in regular triads.”
“You mean the team with like six dudes and one lady?” Xander asked, eyes twinkling.
Tristan gave a nod.
“Yeah, well, that’s more like a super exception to the rule,” Xander said. “We don’t know if we could be monogamous.”
“Well, we can’t be a triad,” Tristan said. “Obviously.”
“You wound me,” Xander said. “I mean, I like Kelsie too, and—”
“Say one more word, and I’ll let my dragon hang out on your basketball court.”
Xander’s eyes widened. “You wouldn’t.” He sighed. “Fine, I’ll stop teasing you. But I don’t want to see you get hurt. You’re only going to get closer to her, and—”
“I know,” Tristan said. “I don’t know what to do from here. All I know is that I want to keep my promise to her. Show her Astray’s work. Spend some time with her—”
“You’re getting in over your head.”
“I was in over my head from the second I saw her,” Tristan said.
Xander sighed, staring at the clock on the wall, which wasn’t moving. “Yeah, I kind of know what you mean.”
Tristan cocked an eyebrow. “What?”
“Nothing,” Xander said. “But I know you well enough to realize there’s no use trying to talk you out of something. You already know this is stupid, and you’re still doing it, which means you can’t help it. So just know if the double dragons do come for us, I’ve got your back.”
Tristan sighed. “Thank you. Though, I hope not to put us in danger.”
“You might not be able to help it,” Xander said. “Didn’t you first save her because she got herself into a bad situation trying to save someone?”
“Yes. She might be a dragon heart.” It would explain some of his attraction to her. That and her cute way of speaking, the way she made him smile, the way she moaned in the dark…
“Earth to Tristan,” Xander said, waving a hand. “Her being a dragon heart just makes the double dragons more likely to come for us. You know they’re always on the lookout for them in their territory.”
“Well, they’re doing a shitty job, because she needed saving and they weren’t there.”
“They won’t see it like that,” Xander said softly. “Tristan, you do realize this is dangerous, don’t you? At least tell me that.”
“I do,” Tristan said. “But I can’t just let her go out there alone. What am I supposed to do?”
“I don’t know,” Xander said. “I guess just keep yourself safe the best you can.”
Tristan nodded. “That’s what I think too.”
Xander grinned. “I’m glad you’re having some fun, though. Finally.”
Tristan stood, ready to go back and find his mate. Wait, was he thinking of her like that already? How could he—
“I heard that,” Xander said. “You are in so much trouble.”
Tristan sighed as he headed to the door. “I know.”
“But I’m with you,” Xander said, watching him calmly. “And if there’s trouble, I’ll get your back.”
“Thanks.” He glanced at Xander. “You really are a good brother. I don’t know if I would have been this understanding if you were in the same position.”
“Nah, you just would have been better at talking me out of screwing myself. I’m not sure if I’m doing enough for you.” He picked up a stress ball he usually had on his desk and tossed it from one hand to the other. “Anyway, what are your plans for today?”
“I’m taking her to see another painting.”
“Right,” Xander said. “Might as well get through that as soon as possible.”
Tristan’s heart twisted. “Yes.”
He had his hand on the doorknob and was turning it when Xander spoke again, this time in a softer tone.
“Are you going to tell her about your connection to As
tray?”
Tristan didn’t look at his brother. “No. Of course not.”
Then he closed the door and walked out.
Chapter 13
Kelsie was ready to take a lunch break by the time Tristan came back to the gallery.
He looked a little more nervous than when she’d seen him earlier, and she wondered how his talk with Xander had gone.
“Sorry,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck. “I had to take care of some things after talking with my brother. How are you doing in here?”
“Great,” she said eagerly. “I got so caught up in the art that the time went by quickly. How are you feeling?” She walked up to him and couldn’t resist putting a hand up to his forehead to check his temperature. He looked just a little bit off.
His skin was warm and she felt that familiar electric tingle when she touched him, but he didn’t feel too hot.
“Sorry,” she said. “Habit when someone looks sick.”
“I look sick?”
She glanced over him, his mussed hair, high cheekbones, broad shoulders. Handsome and slightly confused face. “No, you look perfect.”
“Ah. Thanks.” His expression relaxed, and he led the way back to the kitchen where sandwiches were already laid out.
She sat down at the counter, and he pushed one over to her. “Damn, a man who can cook is the best.”
“Really?”
She nodded. “I wish I was a better cook. I should work on it.”
He laughed as he sat down in front of his own sandwich. “I could teach you some things if you want.”
She shook her head, taking a bite of her sandwich. Then she let out a moan. “Damn, that’s good.”
He straightened, looking clearly pleased as he ate his sandwich as well.
“And as for teaching me, you’re already doing enough. Showing me Astray’s work, taking me around—”
“What do you like so much about him? His work, I mean.”
She thought for a moment. “I don’t know. I mean, everyone likes his work, but I just really connected with it from the first time I saw it. It just felt like it was for me.”
He took a bite of his sandwich. “Interesting.”
“I know it sounds silly,” she said. “And you’re right. Maybe other people feel the same. But it calls to my heart. It’s so wistful.”
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