Chapter 8
Emmett
I led Elana through the main living area, pointing out the spaces she’d actually use while staying here.
The library, with its plush reading nooks and floor-to-ceiling shelves stocked with everything from ancient grimoires to modern bestsellers.
The home gym, fully equipped with weights, mats, and even a sparring ring if she wanted to work off steam.
The gaming room, complete with a massive TV, every console imaginable, and a collection of board games for when she needed a break.
“I have a pool as well, if you’re interested,” I said, glancing at her with a smirk. “Heated. And private.” I sent her my best flirty grin. “I could show you later if you’re brave enough to swim with a dragon.”
She rolled her eyes, but her lips betrayed her with the ghost of a smile. “I think I’ll survive.”
I tried to ignore the way my dragon insisted on being as close to her as possible as I continued with the tour.
I didn’t understand why he was acting so protective around her.
Eventually, we stopped in front of Melantha’s playroom.
The double doors were carved with young dragons in flight.
I took a deep breath and pushed them open.
Elana raised an eyebrow. “This is not what I expected for a child’s playroom.”
I looked around the room, trying to see it as if for the first time.
The walls were lined with what looked like metal panels, the floor covered in thick, fireproof rugs that didn’t match the usual soft pastels hues one expected for a place like this.
Even the toys were strange, all of them made of heat-resistant material that wouldn’t melt under a baby dragon’s scrutiny.
“Melly has a habit of setting things on fire when she gets angry. We had to fireproof everything.”
Elana’s eyes widened slightly. “Ah. That explains it. You know, Seth loved setting things on fire too when he was a toddler.”
“See, I knew you were the right woman for the job.”
“I haven’t taken it yet,” she reminded me.
Luella, who had been sitting in the armchair with her phone in hand, stood, her eyes going from me to Elana.
“Luella, this is Elana. She cared for Melantha when she was still in her egg.”
Luella’s expression tightened almost imperceptibly, and there was a subtle shift in the air.
She smiled and held out a hand, but I sensed the tension hidden behind her perfect facade.
Was she worried Elana was here to take her job?
There were other things to do around the castle.
It wasn’t like she particularly enjoyed caring for Melantha.
Melly, however, perked up at the sight of us. She bounded toward Elana, knocking over a stool in her haste.
“Melly,” I said. “I brought someone to see you.”
Elana crouched down, holding out her hand. “Hi, Melly,” she said softly. “It’s nice to finally meet you.”
Melantha sniffed her hand, then nudged her palm with her snout. Then, to my surprise, she lifted her front paws like they were arms, begging to be held, and I could almost hear the word “up” in my head from her motion.
Elana was already picking her up and holding her like she would a toddler when Luella stood, brushing off her skirt.
“I was just about to put her down for a nap,” she said, her tone polite but cool. “Give her to me.”
“I’m sure that can be delayed. Come back in half an hour,” I said, dismissing her.
She bowed. “Whatever you wish, my lord.”
As she stepped out of the playroom, I caught Elana’s frown.
“My lord?” she asked with raised brows.
I shrugged. “That’s what all my servants and attendants have called me for centuries. What else would they call me?”
“What about your name, Emmett? Everyone just calls Desmon, Desmon. Or boss. Maybe sir. But not ‘my lord.’” She exaggerated the words with a bit of an eye roll.
My, she was a breath of fresh air.
She sat down with Melly in her arms in the chair. “Want me to read you a story?” She looked around the room, frowning, and somehow still making it look beautiful and poised. “Where are the books? Did she burn them all?”
“We never had any. She can’t read yet.”
She gave me a look like I’d said something stupid.
“You’re supposed to read to her,” she huffed. She continued looking around the room. “What about toys that test her motor skills? Like shape sorters, stacking cups, musical toys?”
“She melted the ones we bought, and since she doesn’t have hands to play with them, we decided not to replace them.”
“Who is this we you speak of?” she asked, grabbing a soft baby brush that had been spared from the fire and brushing Melly’s head like she had hair.
“Leroy. I don’t have many humans in my employ.”
She gawked at me. “Leroy? You are trusting your daughter’s development to a wizard who probably doesn’t even know how to change a diaper?”
“Luella turned out okay.”
“Ah, so the woman is his daughter. I thought they looked familiar. And it explains a lot.”
“What do you mean?”
“She has both beauty and strong magic, but only knows how to use one to her advantage. This is from generations of purposeful breeding and years of brainwashing. I should know.”
“Because you are a product of such breeding as well,” I concluded. “I saw your magic at the gala, and you are exceptionally beautiful.”
The most delightful shade of pink colored her cheeks, but she waved my comment away. “My beauty faded with my youth.”
“Nonsense. Need I remind you that you are young compared to me?”
“It’s not the same. You are in your prime for your species. I am not. It’s neither here nor there. Back to Luella… Did your wizard raise her, or did his wife?”
I frowned, not liking how she spoke of herself as if the best years of her life were behind her and, along with it, her worth. But there was plenty of time to rid her of this silly notion. For now, I answered her question.
“She only came to live with us recently.”
“And before?”
“She lived with her mother in Calgary.”
“That tells me all I need to know.” She turned back to Melly. “I guess no reading today. Maybe tomorrow, after we go pick up some books and toys. Did you say there’s a new town settling in nearby?”
“Yes. I was planning to go visit and see who lived under my wing, but I keep putting it off.”
“Why don’t we go into town and check out the bookstore tomorrow?”
“Why, Elana, I thought you’d never ask,” I said, putting a hand over my heart. “Bookstore and lunch date. Very well, I accept.”
“It’s not a date, and besides, Melly’s coming along.”
And that had my protective hackles rising. “No, she’s not.”
“Why not?”
“Then everyone in town will know there’s a little dragon in the mountains. Poachers will come.”
“How is she going to get in touch with her human side if all she sees are four walls and you?”
“There are more than four walls, and she sees more than just me.”
“Oh yeah? Who?”
“She spends time with Luella. And she’s seen Leroy now and then. And she goes swimming in the moat with our moat monster.”
“Moat monster?”
“Yeah, Kai is a kraken. We keep the moat salted just for him.”
“Okay, so she has people. But she still isn’t turning human, so clearly, we need something else. And besides, you can’t plan on keeping her here until she’s grown. What kind of life is that?”
“No, I plan on keeping her here until she can shift. No one will blink at a human child.”
“And then what? They know you’re a dragon. They can make the connection.”
“Do they, though? I hide what I am well. The people in town do not need to know who I am.” How did I explain to her that dragons learned to hide what we were over the course of centuries for fear of being hunted?
It was going to take a lot for me to leave that habit behind, especially when it had helped me survive for so long.
Desmon was different in that he’d used his museum to give pieces of his treasure an assessed value, effectively turning almost useless pieces that were worth nothing and hidden away in a cave, into rare oddities worth millions.
Once upon a time, it hadn’t mattered what humans thought, but it did now.
I had to give it to him. It was an excellent ploy and had turned his medium-sized hoard—for a dragon—into something truly valuable.
It also afforded him the opportunity to trade and acquire new pieces.
Things ran very differently now than they had centuries ago.
Not much went under the radar now, and humans had their electronic eyes everywhere.
Magic still worked to hide our dealings, but it took a lot more to cross all our T’s and dot all our I’s.
“Don’t the people of Solstice claim to have settled here to be under the protection of a dragon?”
My jaw clenched at that. They had, which irritated me because I’d been so certain that I’d kept my location a secret all these years.
My phone buzzed from my pocket. It was Leroy, requesting a meeting at my office about the illegal loggers who’d trespassed into my range. We were trying to negotiate with the company directly instead of turning them over to the authorities. It would be better for everyone involved.
I sighed. “I have to take care of something. Will you join me for dinner tonight?”
She nodded. “Of course.”
“I’ll be back soon.” And then I was out the door and hurrying down the stairs to my office.
The faster this gets done, the faster I can be back with my enchanting witch.
“This Elana woman is not what I’d expected,” Leroy said. “I thought you said she had plenty of magic.”
I’d finally gotten off the phone with the logging company.
The call had taken much longer than I’d expected, and I’d thought I’d have time to meet up with Elana again and perhaps show her around the outside of the castle before dinner.
But dinner time was fast approaching, and I was still in my office.
“She does. I saw it at the gala. She must have a spell hiding her magic.”
Leroy made a face. “I do not detect such a spell running.”
I shrugged. “It doesn’t matter anyway. She’s not here for her magic.”
“You are still interested in the woman to be Melantha’s governess. Is Luella not doing a good enough job?”
“She’s doing fine. But Melantha still hasn’t shifted. You know how important the next few months are.”
“Still, I do not trust the woman. How do we know your brother isn’t using her to infiltrate our defenses? Do you know those two demons—”
“Ifrits,” I corrected.
“Ifrits, yes, yes.” He waved a hand. “Do you know they are going around poking their noses into everything?”
“Are they?”
“They are. I do not trust them.”
I wondered if he had a good reason, or if it was because they were two of the very few supernatural beings in my fortress that he could not control. Perhaps that was reason enough.
“Have Cassian keep a watch on them.” Cassian was a demon who owed me a debt. But while technically the debt was to me, it was Leroy who held him bound until the debt could be paid.
“That is unwise. They are a bad influence.”
I rolled my eyes. “You speak like you think they’d mind control him. If you are so worried, instruct him to watch without making contact.” Then, remembering my conversation with Elana, I said, “Elana wishes to visit the town tomorrow, and suggests that we bring Melantha.”
Leroy looked taken aback. “That is the worst idea yet. That would expose her to the townsfolk. Absolutely not. Clearly, this female has no idea how to keep a dragonlet safe.”
That was pretty much the reaction I’d expected.
“Perhaps Luella can look after Melly while we visit town, then.”
Leroy didn’t seem too happy about this either. “Why not take Luella out to the town?”
“Perhaps another time.” I stood, stretching.
I dismissed Leroy and started toward the dining room, eager to see Elana again.