Chapter 53
RAINE
Evander opens my car door. “Raine, we’re here.” He takes my hand. I’m not used to being treated this well by one guy, let alone two.
I glance around, but there’s no one here. I’ve seen pictures of another mountain and the lines of tourists going up to the gondola.
“Are you sure it’s open?” I ask Roark, who’s left the car at the curb.
We drove almost an hour from the castle, past the village and amazing inn that Wren and I almost stayed in, through the valley and around the next few mountains.
Past some amazing scenery with charming lakeside cabins.
Small sailboats floating over the water.
Tons of people. But here, there’s almost no one.
“There’s no way the gondola is still open.
There’s no one here.” I clutch my arms around my waist. “We must have missed it.”
“We didn’t miss it,” says Evander.
“Mr. Lang.” A young woman wearing a Tecorin T-shirt jogs over to Roark.
“Yes. Everything is ready?”
“Absolutely. We’re so happy to have you with us tonight.”
“Please add another chair,” Roark growls. It’s interesting seeing him here. He’s different at Cloud Rift. His scowl’s back, and the furrow of his brow runs deep.
“Of course. That’s not a problem. We have plenty of space.” She laughs.
I turn to him. “Did you rent out the gondola for the day?”
“No,” he says, his tone dropping.
“If you didn’t rent it out for the day, then why are we the only ones . . .” It can’t be. “Did you buy the gondola?”
“No.”
“But . . .”
“Did you buy something else?” My heart flops sideways.
“Yes.”
“Tell her, Roark, before you give her a heart attack,” Evander says. He’s wearing a dark shirt and a slim fit suit.
“I bought the mountain.”
“What? You can buy mountains?”
“Indeed.”
“He likes to move them, too.” Evander laughs.
The young woman has outpaced us; she’s practically running. But then, I can only imagine what it’s like when the new owner of where you work shows up. Roark’s good at slowing his pace to let me keep up with him. “When did you—”
“Last week.”
“Mr. Lang, there are a few people who would like to meet you.”
“Of course, give me one minute.” Roark nods to the woman. “Things aren’t official yet. I won’t officially own anything until the lawyers straighten out all the details. I’ll be right back.” Roark kisses my cheek.
“But . . . why?” I ask Evander.
Evander takes my other arm. “Roark asked Leopold what tourists like to do last week. Then Roark figured out how many people would be here and made the appropriate arrangements to make things safe. Roark’s always been a male of action.
But this is a good investment. I own a ski resort, but it’s on the other side of the country.
We can go there this winter if you like. ”
“Oh, I’ve never skied before. Not downhill.
I’ve been cross-country skiing a few times.
I like sledding. I’ve always imagined I’d like it.
But it’s expensive and not something my parents thought was a good use of money.
Same thing with travel. It’s why Wren wanted to be a flight attendant. She can see the world and make money.”
“And your parents approved of her career choice?”
I burst out a loud ha. “No, not in the least bit. Wren got around that by getting her nursing degree. It helped her get a job with a better airline, and she was able to skip the little planes and go straight to the ones that fly internationally.”
“But being a curator of an art collection is a little harder to skirt around your parents.”
“Exactly.” I put on the sweater I’ve been carrying.
Roark pushes out of the office from the side of the waiting room. “Ready?”
The excited woman leads us up a flight of stairs to where a red gondola waits for us. I step onto it, not sure how I’m going to like it.
“Your journey to the top takes a little over twenty minutes. Have a good trip, Mr. Lang and honored guests,” she says.
“Honored guests.” Evander laughs and sits at the end of the car. He tugs me into his lap just as the car jerks to a start. “I’m honored that you’re with us, Raine.” His lips hit the shell of my ear. “Is your heart racing because you’re nervous about heights or something else?”
Roark’s glaring at him. “Evander.”
“What, I can tell you had your time. Your scent is all over her, thunder mate. I’m done with tradition.” His fingers slide down my arm to my waist. The dress I’m wearing has ridden up my leg. Evander pushes it up higher, and his hand moves to sitting firmly on my thigh.
Roark reaches up to the corner of the car and unplugs a security camera. “Tradition means something.”
“Come on, you can feel it as much as I can,” Evander says.
His fingers skim higher as we swing out of the gondola station.
My back presses against Evander’s chest, and my legs widen with the force of the rocking.
“You can feel it too, can’t you, Raine? You want both of us, don’t you?
” He spins me on his lap. His dark eyes peer into me.
“Yes. This doesn’t feel like anything I’ve ever felt before. I’ve never been attracted to three men at the same time. It’s not something I even thought was possible.” But I do feel it. And I’m not sure I believe it yet. Or know what to do with the feelings.
We swing again. My arms loop around Evander’s neck. The earth is falling away, widening the landscape. The wooden houses of the village below become less frequent as we rise up the lower side of the mountain. The cables groan.
“It’s good, Duchess,” says Roark. “I checked into all the safety ratings.”
It’s stunning in the blue sky. The snow-capped mountain is just barely visible from this angle. But the village is turning into miniatures.
“What do you think, Raine? It’s almost like flying,” Evander says.
It comes rushing back to me. “I’ve had dreams of flying since I was a kid. I suppose it’s common. But it’s more than that. When I had the recurring dreams, it was like I’d just forgotten how to fly. That if I tried hard enough, I could remember how to do it.”
Evander nods. “One of my sisters has dreams of flying.”
I turn on his lap. “Your sister’s not a dragon shifter?”
“She is. Don’t let her hear you say she’s not. She’s got poison breath. One of the better gifts, if you ask me. Though my mother has tiny wings and can fly short hops at a time.” Evander shares a look with Roark.
I’m thinking back to the ShifterToday magazines I’ve seen in the apartment.
There are definitely female dragon shifters.
There’s one who owns a major grocery store chain, and there was a full spread story of another really old one who died on a beach in California in some sort of battle between dragons and mermaids.
“Women—females, I mean—can’t shift where you’re from? ”
“Not anymore.” Roark crosses his arms over his chest. “Not for many generations, before the portals existed.”
“But your mother was a general?” I clench my stomach.
“Yes, she rode into battle on my father’s back.” Roark’s arms drop to his side. “When he spiraled to the earth, she went with him. My brother tried to save them but couldn’t. He ended up losing his wings.”
“Oh. I’m . . . I’m so sorry.” Sure, I’ve had my difficulties with my parents. They want me to do what they want me to do. Them not being alive? I can imagine it, but I don’t want to. And Wren being hurt while trying to save them? My chest aches for Roark.
“It was a long time ago,” he says. But his eyes say he remembers every part of it.
“Your brother, is he okay?”
“I . . . He’s gone too,” Roark says, staring out the glass. He shakes his head. “I would protect you if you would like to go for a flight.”
“A flight? Breaking all the rules,” Evander says.
“There are no rules to break. I’m certain Raine is our thunder mate.” Roark places his hand on my back.
The cable car runs under a support tower, and we rock our way up the mountain. But it’s not the swinging that’s giving me a nervous stomach.