Chapter 4
Scarlett focused on the dragon-man’s strong hands as he piloted his ship from Dalcon.
Oh, she’d tried to pay attention to their surroundings—the other men in the spaceport, the view of Dalcon as they left the atmosphere and blasted into deep space, the planet’s golden moons. But instead, her gaze crept to Ransom.
He puzzled her.
Intrigued her.
Raised her curiosity, which according to her brothers, never had a favorable outcome. They preferred her logical lists, which kept her on track. Yes, they teased her about her to-do lists, her planner with its colorful virtual stickers, but whenever she acted on impulse, disaster became her BFF.
She swallowed hard. Not going there.
Instead of staring at his hands and imagining his callused fingers trailing over her skin, she’d start her subtle interrogation. Back to the plan. Much safer for everyone.
“Do you have brothers or sisters?”
He finished inputting the course coordinates and set the ship to autopilot before he turned in her direction. She caught the flash of masculine interest before he tamped it down. The gleam of fiery gold in his eyes departed, leaving cool green-brown peepers.
“Are you going to sit there like a big ox and stare, or will we have a conversation?” Ah, yes. Her standard blunt, straightforward style. Her mother often told her she’d missed the tactful gene, this always uttered with grave parental concern.
His bright and unexpected grin made her girl-parts sit up and pay attention. “I have no idea what this ox thing is.”
“An animal with four legs. Eats grass. An herbivore. Brothers? Sisters? Do you have any?”
“I have a younger brother and two younger sisters. One is a half-sister who was not raised with us. When my father died, I invited her to live with our clan. Gryffnn has a son and a stepdaughter. He recently mated with a woman from another planet.”
“So you dragons don’t keep to yourselves? You cross-pollinate.” She winked.
“During my father’s time, our planet was closed to visitors. After he died, I decided we needed contact with others. Now, those who wish to come to Narenda apply for visitor visas.”
Scarlett stilled. Oops. “I didn’t do that.”
She received another of those charming smiles—a jolt to her system. “No, you thumbed your nose at procedure.”
“In my defense, I knew nothing of the visa requirement. My visit was a spur-of-the-moment thing after I heard talk in the market. If you hope to enforce this visa thing, consider placing guards to stop unauthorized visitors. No one mentioned dragons, and until you, I never saw another being.”
“I’ll mention this to Gryffnn.”
“Tell me about your sisters.”
“Jacinta comes after Gryffnn, and Sable is the youngest. Jacinta is a typical dragon female. She’s attractive with a trace of arrogance that keeps the males on their toes.
Sable is my half-sister, the daughter of my sire’s mistress who came from Blackon.
Some look down on her since she is unable to shift.
Due to a childhood accident, she lost an arm.
We purchased a high-tech artificial one for her. Some consider her flawed.”
“That must be difficult for her,” Scarlett said.
“Sable runs our household. Over the last rotations, she has grown in confidence. I’m proud of her.”
“What about your nephew and niece?” Scarlett’s curiosity had turned to interest. “Are they dragons?”
“Hallum is a full dragon while Lys is not. I haven’t met Lys yet, but I believe she resembles her mother.
” He hesitated as if measuring what to say.
“Gryffnn’s new family is complicated, but I’ve never seen my brother so happy.
I respected Kaya before she paired with Gryffnn.
Tell me about your family. You have brothers. ”
Scarlett pulled a face. “I have five, all older. They’re bossy, they scare away potential boyfriends, and make my life difficult.
” She shrugged, then grinned since they’d say the same thing about her.
“I love them. I also have lots of cousins, most of them male. There aren’t many females in my generation, which is why the guys are ultra-protective. They’re the perfect contraception.”
Ransom’s brows rose. “If they’re so protective of you, why did I discover you alone on Narenda without a guard?”
“I didn’t require one. I escaped you, didn’t I?”
“How did you do that?”
She tapped her nose, indicating secrets. “I might require the same strategy a second time.”
“Why were you alone?”
An uncomfortable question because she’d had to use sneakiness when she much preferred a direct approach.
She dragged in a fortifying breath, prepared to dodge the question.
“I told my brothers I was going to Dalcon to purchase jewelry-making supplies. To be fair, the first time I never lied, but I met other suppliers and heard about the neighboring planets suitable for fossicking.”
“Not Narenda.”
“Not Narenda,” she agreed. “I didn’t know I was on Narenda. When you nabbed me, I told you I thought the planet was unoccupied. That was the truth.”
“We have friends who collect raw stones for us.” He frowned. “Did you see any of the man-eating plants?”
“What? No. For real? There are carnivorous plants on that side of your planet?”
“Ry and his crew tried various ways of killing them and must’ve wiped them out. The plants aren’t native to Narenda. We suspect pirates released them.”
“Hmm, I didn’t see pirates either. Why don’t your people collect the raw stones?” Scarlett asked. “I find it’s the best way to get what I want.”
“Ah, you’re not susceptible to the resonance.”
“What’s resonance?”
“The mountains emit a high-pitch frequency that destroys a dragon’s mind after too much exposure.
To keep safe, we contract the Indy crew to collect the stones for us.
We build a small immunity by working with the stones, but exposure to large quantities is dangerous.
It put me in a coma for almost half a rotation. I still have headaches.”
“Then why are you risking your life traveling into the mountains? Didn’t you say you were the leader of the dragon clan?” If the mountains gave her headaches, she’d stay far, far away. “Why are you going on this quest when you have others who could do it for you?”
His expression blanked, reminding her of Saber when something weighty tugged at his mind.
This dragon-man was keeping secrets from her.
One: he had bad dreams, and this resonance sickness was clearly still affecting him.
Two: why did he need her presence? Three: something about this quest held a huge whiff of a dead rat. And, she was back to her lists.
Okaaay. So she’d lull him, let him think she’d accepted his avoidance, then when he least expected it, she’d pounce with perfect feline form.
“How much longer will it take to get to Narenda?”
“We should arrive in less than half a cycle.”
Relief layered his voice. Silly dragon-man. He shouldn’t get comfortable yet.
“Do you have a marriage contract arranged for you? I bet you have, right? An arrangement with another dragon clan to take one of their females as a mate.”
“I will not take a mate.”
Scarlett gaped. “It’s a matter of genetics. Shifters get an urge to mate. It happens whether you like it or not!” Unfortunately for her, her stubborn feline was telling her she wanted this secretive dragon-man. Go figure. He might possess a pretty hide, but she was questioning his mental abilities.
He skewered her with his gaze. “What do you know about shifters? I wager your info came from the marketplace.”
“I’ve met shifters.” The truth. That they happened to be family, friends, and relations wasn’t pertinent to the conversation.
“No mate,” he reiterated, this time with gritted teeth.
“What happens if you die? Who will lead your people?”
“Gryffnn did an exceptional job while I was unavailable. He can lead the clan into the future.”
“You don’t seem happy about it.”
“It is what it is,” he snapped. “Do you always talk so much?”
“Yes.” Scarlett offered him a sweet smile and tapped her chin. “How about this? What is your favorite type of stone to work with? Your favorite item of jewelry to create?”
“I enjoy Narendanite. It’s a purple stone and until recently, very rare. Ry and his crew found some and brought it back for us.”
“Ah! I have some.” She spoke rapidly before he accused her of stealing again.
“I designed a ring for one of my twin brothers. I haven’t crafted it yet, but I will once I return to the resort.
My favorite piece is always the one I’m working on, although I prefer a variety.
I hate making the same piece time after time. ”
Interest shone in him, and she congratulated herself on deflecting from the hot button she’d struck regarding the clan leadership.
“I find it rewarding to teach the younger dragons,” Ransom said. “I design and make my own pieces when I have time. Recently…” He trailed off, the pleasure sliding off his face to leave his usual silent arrogance.
“Who taught you? Your father?”
Ransom barked out a laugh, and his disbelief was apparent to her.
“It was beneath my father’s dignity to teach anyone, including his sons.
I learned jewelry basics from the master craftsmen in our clan, and I worked hard because I found it an escape from the other skills my father wished me to acquire. ”
“What skills?”
“Flying with precision. Spitting flames with accuracy. Wrestling. Swordplay. Clan history. Dragon etiquette. All talents desirable of a clan leader.”
“That sounds like a lot of pressure.”
Ransom shrugged. “I was the oldest son. It was my duty.”
“What about fun? What did you do when you weren’t studying?”
“My cycle was full of study.”
“What about now? What do you do when you’re relaxing?”
Ransom stared, and she could tell her questions perplexed him.